Thomas Haak ’23

The Roundup

With the rule changes made to The Dutch, no students except PE classes and sports teams have been able to work out and this will likely last for the remainder of the year. 

The teams that are allowed to use The Dutch are football, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, wrestling and tennis.

Teams that are often working out in The Dutch have been affected by these rule changes by time slots being implemented, one person per rack, and every athlete must sanitize equipment when done. 

Athletic Director and varsity Baseball coach Mr. Josh Garcia ’07, said “The biggest thing is we’ve had to structure our time better. It’s a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that we as coaches have had to be really organized with our time.” 

Mr. Garcia has tracked the baseball team’s teams lifting progress in the past year and has found that his athletes have still vastly improved despite COVID-19 restrictions and less time in the gym

“Our numbers are out the roof,” Mr. Garcia said. “We were still able to be very productive in the weight room and I think it’s because we had to manage our time more wisely.”

Most players increased their squat by about 100 lbs and even though they only get an hour sometimes, they make the most of it according to Mr. Garcia. 

“Students used to be able to workout on their own volition, but now they are not allowed to play basketball, or workout unless they have a time” said by strength and conditioning coach Mr. Joe Denk

This rule is to try and keep students socially distanced and to not spread illness through shared equipment. 

No equipment can be shared during gym class or in other activities while inside the Dutch. Mr. Denk said, “We would traditionally do competitions like tug of war, things where we share equipment, now made unfeasible.”

Common students are also affected by the changes to the Dutch because they would regularly play basketball or workout.

“I miss being able to spend my lunch period playing basketball in the Dutch,” said Cole Miller 23’.

Even though Miller is not playing a sport that is allowed to use the Dutch, he misses being able to play against his friends during flex or lunch. “It was a great way for me to spend energy during lunch and get away from everyday schoolwork,” Miller said.