The COVID Lockdowns--The Impact On High School Runners

The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on our entire society, but the affects/effects have been much more profound and longer-lasting for our school age children. They went from immersive learning with their friends in classrooms to virtual learning assignments. When schools closed, middle school and high school sports soon shut down too, creating a significant void in the lives of young competitors and removing an outlet and gathering place that they sorely needed.

Mental health issues like anxiety and depression are twice as high as they were pre-COVID. In fact, the number of students diagnosed with anxiety and depression surged past the number of students diagnosed with ADHD.  The results of reduced levels of physical activity, increased screen usage, and poor nutrition habits created anxiety that developed into PTSD for many young people.

In North Carolina, we weren’t allowed any contact with our athletes for 7 months and even when the restrictions were partially lifted, student-athletes were limited to no group participation and practices were limited to an hour.

Even upon a return to “normalcy,” the participation numbers dropped significantly. Many schools dropped sports teams due to lack of participation. The drop in numbers were twofold. While some parents were being overly cautious and didn’t allow their children to participate, the greatest decline was a result of inactivity during COVID.

When these active kids’ opportunities to train and compete were taken away from them, it set them back physically. As a result of inactivity, more injuries occurred as students returned to training. Many of the athletes were complaining of soreness.

The challenges that high school student-athletes have undergone in the past couple of years weren’t merely physiological but also psychological. The pandemic took a heavy toll on teenage athletes’ mental health. It’s normal to see pre-performance anxiety, but many kids, felt constant low-level anxiousness and fearfulness in all phases of their lives—sports included.

As a Cross Country Coach and an At-Risk Counselor, I realized the need to double down on an approach that prioritizes the whole person first and then the athlete. It’s often difficult to do this in a typical season when the average coach is working with a larger population of athletes—but there was nothing typical about the past few years

We focused more on getting to know our athletes individually more than we did in training them. Pushing a great training plan wasn’t going to build self-confidence and self-esteem via success as it had in the past.  Prior to COVID, we had used a more team-wide approach to training.  Post-COVID, it became clear that this approach to training not only led to more injuries, but it also resulted in more mental health issues. Student-athletes had their entire life personalized and isolated during COVID, whether it was with school, friends, or social media. Student-athletes needed more positive reinforcement and they needed strong personal connections. When young athletes can relate to you and know you truly care about them, they’re more likely to keep coming back and participating.

Training never was and still isn’t a one-size-fits-all prescription, as there can be significant gaps between the various members of a high school team. We divide our team into 3 different squads based on ability and maturity.  Within those three groups, we will break them into even smaller groups. The bodies, emotional maturity levels and physical development of a typical 14-year-old are much different to that of an 18-year-old.  We start slowly with their training to make sure they’re not overdoing it. Then as they improve, we monitor how mentally and physically mature they become, and we use this to adjust their plan.

Having said that, the fallout from COVID has been a reminder that coaching high schoolers means so much more than just achieving PRs or qualifying athletes for state and nationals. We must remember where young people are in their lives because of something, they had no control over. Having a very outcomes-based outlook, and winning is certainly enjoyable, but one of the main reason’s kids are willing to show up and put in hard days is because they are with their friends. It’s twice as important today to create an environment that encourages improvement and success while still being enjoyable.