It’s been a flurry of activity for the Becker Bulldog activities department, as the last few weeks have brought about schedule changes, safety guidelines and numerous updates regarding spectators, social distancing and competition recommendations. But for Becker Activities Director Dave Niemi, seeing the athletes back in action has made all the work worthwhile.
“The weeks after it was announced what the fall would look like, it was a constant flow of information and guidelines being sent and sometimes modified and re-sent to us,” says Niemi, who is entering his tenth season as A.D. in Becker.
“Now that the seasons have started, things are moving along and it’s great to see the coaches and the participants back in action.”
With a fall season that could see its share of changes, Niemi says it is a good idea for people to follow the Mississippi8 website (mississippi8.org) to stay up to date on schedules. If tweaks are made, they are reflected nearly instantly online.
Participation numbers continue to be strong, according to Niemi.
“Becker has generally had great activity participation numbers and so far, even with the challenges we are facing as we head into another school year, our numbers are in a good place once again,” says Niemi.
The biggest differences fans might notice this year come in the form of MSHSL and MDH mandates. Masks will be encouraged at all events and six foot social distancing rules will be enforced. For all sports, the number of spectators will be limited, while girls swimming and diving will not have fans at all, per MSHSL rules.
‘We are working on maybe live streaming girls swim-dive meets so information will be sent out if that develops,” says Niemi.
For tennis, some of the slats in the fence have been removed to make it easier for people to watch from outside the fence. For the soccer fields, the bleachers have been marked with blue tape for social distancing adherence and the ticket taker will have a counter to ensure attendance does not exceed capacity. At cross country meets, staggered start times and crowd limits dependent on the venue will be in place.
Niemi understands the frustrations that may accompany some of these changes, but his focus remains squarely on the safety of the coaches, players and spectators.
“Across the board, it is most important for the teams and spectators that all personal feelings be set aside, because the guidelines put in place — are allowing our teams to compete this fall,” says Niemi. “Once the competitions begin on any given day, we want there to be as much ‘normalcy’ as we can for the athletes competing.
“If we do our due diligence in the fall as we start the year, we will have a better chance for a more normal winter season and spring season to come. I would like to thank everyone out there that helps us to do just that on behalf of all of our Becker student activity participants.”
Early Reports - Boys soccer
Coach Nick Crowley has 22 players out for the team and he is making it known that he is trying to find a few more students who would like to give soccer a shot. With the new configuration of MSHSL sports for this year, it would be possible to have “four sport” athletes.
“I think it’s a pretty cool opportunity for athletes to try and compete in four different seasons,” says Crowley. “It’s an opportunity for a football player to try something that they normally wouldn’t think of doing... like soccer.
“Every year we get one or two seniors who want to come out for soccer and get playing time,” he added.
With his limited numbers, Crowley says that spacing out during practice hasn’t been an issue.
Swimming/Diving
Head Coach Tina Tamm says her numbers are close to last year, but she also has at least one new athlete from each grade 7-12.
While most seasons have two to three weeks of preparation time, this year the team will have just eight practices before the first meet. She still expects the girls to perform well, as she says they have been putting in some tough sets during practice and many of the girls participated in the summer camp.
“This is the shortest pre-season we have ever had,” says Tamm, who also noted how the pool will feel different with no fans. “We are just going to roll with it and make the best of what we have and appreciate that we can actually have a season.”
Girls Tennis
Head Coach Nate Bucher has nearly 50 student-athletes out for the sport in grades 7-12, as the volleyball season switch allowed some girls to give tennis a try.
“We have benefited from gaining some volleyball girls that are giving tennis a try,” says Bucher. “It’s been really fun helping teach them a new sport and connect them with some of the same skill motions.”
He also has a veteran team returning that was very successful just a year ago.
“After our first ever team section championship, we have a very competitive team for this year,” says Bucher. “The first week and half of practice has proven that.”
Season Start
All three teams, in addition to the girls soccer team, were scheduled to begin their season Thursday evening (August 27) with Big Lake as their opponents. Look for results in next week’s Patriot.
