A rally organized by student athletes at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School Sunday (MVRHS) sought to encourage high school school committee members to vote in favor of fall sports at their meeting on Monday, Sept. 14, at 5 pm.

Todd Christy said he has two twin daughters on the cross country team who both “really want to run this year.” He said their take is that the school will do their best to make decisions that will benefit the student body, but they also think the guidance released by state sports agencies that allows for sports in the fall should be followed.

“I know the school will be keeping a very close eye on everything as the school year progresses, and making sure that we are finding ways to be inclusive and safe,” Christy said. 

And although some sports may look a little different this year, Christy said it is important for kids to get together and have fun. He continued to say that the most difficult part of playing school sports with all the health restrictions will be travel.

Even though football has already been postponed from the fall season, Christy said he is proud to see MVRHS football players coming out and supporting the initiative. 

“Those guys probably aren’t going to be on the field til March, but they are still out here supporting their fellow athletes and classmates,” Christy said. 

Sophomore field hockey player Aileen Mahoney said she wants sports to happen in the fall because she loves the sport, and loves how it provides structure to her day.

“I think sports are really linked to success in school and playing a sport helps with academics,” Aileen said. 

Sophomore cross country runner Adrienne Christy said she wants to run this year because of the social element that has been missing for so long, ever since the start of the pandemic.

“It’s just a really nice way to be with people again,” Adrienne said. She added that sports are a good way for incoming freshmen to meet new friends, and find their place in the school community. 

Zach Utz said he runs for the cross country team and is going into his junior year at MVRHS. He said he wants to let the school committee know how important fall sports are to many students, even if some of the rules have to be changed. Zach said that, for cross country, the school is looking at changing the way teams start and stop their races. 

“We are really focusing on how to start races and finish them in a safe way. Things like staggering start times and making sure there aren’t too many people close together,” Zach said.

Maggie Best, a multi-athlete and incoming sophomore, said that she has heard rumors that the soccer team might do only scrimmages with their team split up into mini teams, or would have to wear masks if they were going to play against other teams. 

She also pointed out that travel would be an issue.

“With quarantine going on for so long, it’s pretty easy to get cabin fever. It’s easy to not get out an exercise as much, and it’s easy to miss your friends,” Maggie said. “Sports will give us some sort of normalcy, which is something I think everyone is really starving for.”