The sight of a snowblower clearing the Newburgh Free Academy athletic field of snow last week was a welcome sign that spring is around the corner.
Or is it fall?

It’s hard to tell in this day and age of COVID, especially since the next team to take the field will be the football team, some 16 months after they last put on the cleats and shoulder pads for a competitive game. Football is, of course, a fall sport, but we will see a few fall teams - like soccer, volleyball and football - in action for a few weeks before pitchers and catchers report.

Local school districts have given the green light for the so-called high risks sports to resume, having successfully concluded a very brief winter season, where most teams could only manage to squeeze in a handful of games. Still, a few games is better than no games at all. It was good to see the kids back on the court nearly a year after all athletics - high school, college and professional - came to a screeching halt last March. New York State will crown no champions during the current academic year and offer no postseason tournaments, but there were small victories on and off the court this winter.

Locally there were no serious COVID-related emergencies this winter, and no outbreaks to put the brief season on hold. Getting the young athletes to lace up their sneakers and take the court is a victory in itself.

There’s no reason not to stick with the original plan and allow the two outdoor seasons to move forward in succession. Schools have had a full year to come up with a plan that will allow young athletes to compete safely. Coaches and officials, like all educators, should have access to vaccines. Athletes should socially distance to whatever extent is practical.

The role of athletics in a young person’s development is well documented in building character and other qualities that will be useful later in life. For many of them, it helps provide that ticket to a college admission.
It all leads to other victories later in life.