It was hardly a typical workout for the Cedar Springs football team Monday night.
High schools across Michigan received permission last week that they could host outdoor Organized Team Activities once the academic online school year had been completed. Teams like the Red Hawks wasted little time getting down to business.
Approximately 80 Cedar Springs players were required to fill out a questionnaire asking if they had any coronavirus symptoms, and they had their temperatures taken. They arrived wearing masks and left wearing masks. Coaches wore masks the entire time, and everyone observed social distancing.
It was different, but an OTA had never felt so good as far as Red Hawks coach Gus Kapolka was concerned.
“It was great to get on the field, but it was even better to see our guys,” Kapolka said. “You do Zoom meetings and things like that, and we have been in pretty close contact through social media and all that.
“But it was just great to see the guys. That’s the reason why you are in this. You are in it for kids and you are in it for education for them, and it’s hard when you don’t get to see the people you work with.”
Cedar Springs has won back-to-back OK White Conference championships while going a combined 19-4 over the past two years combined. The Red Hawks have been eliminated by eventual Division 3 state runner-up Muskegon in each of the past two seasons.
The Red Hawks plan to work out each night through Thursday this week, beginning with Monday’s one-hour session.
“We took it really slow just because you don’t know where all your guys are at from a fitness standpoint,” Kapolka said. “We did some basic flexibility and limited cardiovascular stuff and some body weight exercises on the field. We didn’t use any equipment tonight. It was all body weight stuff. But it was good. It was productive.
“A lot of our guys really look like they are in good physical shape coming in. They have been working out and staying in shape. The younger guys, not so much. But we have done some things on social media with some different Instagram channels just for our guys.”
The Michigan High School Athletic Association updated its reopening and summer guidelines for participating schools after Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer lifted the state’s stay-at-home order on June 1. This marks the first time since mid-March that student-athletes in the state have been permitted to participate in workouts.
“Like I told my coaches and kids, there are a lot of regulations for football anyways in the summer,” Kapolka said. "We just now have a few more, so it’s not that big of a deal.
“We told the guys tonight that every day is precious because this opportunity can be taken away at any time. You can have change in outbreak or spread and they decide to shut it down. We have to approach every day like it could be our last day. We have to embrace it and enjoy it and take that opportunity.
That’s just what the Red Hawks are doing.
“I’m out of the house, that’s all I know,” Kapolka said. “I’m out of the house for a couple of hours, and I’m happy. It’s a great day to be a Red Hawk.”
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