Similar to the pre-Covid-19 school years, many students continue to proudly represent Blue and Gold by participating in Peddie sports teams. Back in the fall, with the availability of the Covid-19 vaccine, it was mandatory for faculty and staff and students to get vaccinated (unless they had special circumstances) and obtain a negative PCR test before returning to campus and participating in after-school activities. This allowed Peddie to continue with preseason and home and away games for all sports. For games that took place outdoors, students were not required to wear masks. Coaches, players and spectators were allowed to could stand within 6 feet of each other. However, the risk of Covid-19 has drastically changed since fall term.

According to the New York Times, there were on average 2,000 Covid-19 cases daily from September through November of 2021. However, from the start of December, cases rapidly increased to approximately 32,000 cases per day. Amid a new highly contagious variant of the virus, Omicron, new restrictions were placed. With the safety of faculty and students in mind, restrictions were also made for the sports protocol. 

Since there is a lot of interaction with other schools during these games, the mask mandates and social distances have been reformed. In order for players to participate in practices and games against other schools, they will now have to get tested weekly. In addition, social distancing is recommended, and masks will have to be worn at all times unless they are playing. Fortunately, with the booster shot now being offered by Peddie, in partnership with RiteAid Pharmacy, players are required to get the booster shots to ensure maximum safety. 

Though only slight differences were made, by doing this, the safety of the coaches and players of our community remained a priority. Nevertheless, the sense of camaraderie was still prevalent. “I think enforcing these extra restrictions will help us in the long run,” said Peddie track member Shivani Verma’24. “ Even though we have more restrictions now because of how severe Covid-19 has become over the past couple of months, I still feel like a part of a big family every time I step out onto the track with my fellow teammates,” she added.