High school teams working to stay healthy

Published 12:01 am Wednesday, November 25, 2009

A good supply of hand sanitizer? Check. Water bottles clearly labeled with permanent ink? Check. Encouraging sick athletes to stay at home? Check.

After the flu wreaked havoc on several local high school sports teams this fall, winter sports coaches are taking extra precautions in an effort to keep their teams healthy.

“Holding sick kids out until they are well will go a long way in making sure we protect those that are not infected,” Lake Stevens wrestling coach Brent Barnes said. “Communication with our school nurse, parents and other coaches that we compete against will go a long way in prevention.”

Barnes also stressed the importance of keeping the mat room clean and making sure student-athletes maintain healthy diets and sleep schedules.

In addition to the standard of washing hands and covering coughs and sneezes, alcohol-based hand sanitizer is key this year. Prior to each practice and game, Randall Edens, coach of the Lake Stevens girls basketball team, encourages his girls to use the germ-killing cleaner.

“With basketball being such a contact sport, there’s really only so much you can do to try to be as preventative as you can,” Edens said. “With the swine flu out there — as prevalent as it is this year — you want to try to play it as safe as you can and hope that you get a little lucky along the way, too.”

Edens, who also coaches the Marysville-Pilchuck cross country team, already witnessed the widespread effects of this year’s flu and said it’s one of the worst he’s seen.

“We usually have one or two players out with the flu in the season, but nothing to the degree of what we’ve seen already in the fall,” he said.

Lynnwood volleyball coach Jean Kellogg can attest to that statement.

Over the course of two weeks in October, the Lynnwood volleyball team experienced a wave of sickness that stretched from Kellogg to many of her players. The Royals began their season 5-0, but after playing in the South Whidbey Invite on Sept. 29, a cold began to spread through the team and played a role in Lynnwood losing its next five matches.

Then All-Wesco player and team captain Jessika Barlow became ill before the Jackson match on Oct. 13 and, after a visit to the doctor, was diagnosed with the flu.

Although Barlow was the only player to officially be tested for the flu, many others missed practice or games, Kellogg said. On some days as many as six players missed practice.

“Whatever it is this year, it seems to spread very easily,” Kellogg said. “I’ve been coaching for 23 years and have never seen it work that way. Back when (the players) used to share water bottles as kids you would see it but not as bad as this.”

The bug hit during the toughest stretch in Lynnwood’s season, with games against Wesco South leaders Kamiak, Edmonds-Woodway and Jackson. The Royals were swept 3-0 by all three teams.

The Coupeville football team also was hit hard by the flu this fall. On Oct. 23, the Wolves lost 17 players to illness or injury and were forced to forfeit their game against Cedarcrest.

“The players gradually over the course of the week came down with the flu,” Coupeville coach Ron Bagby said. “It happened to affect our older kids the most, (which was) bad luck.”

The flu struck the Jackson girls swim team in mid-October and half the squad missed the Oct. 15 meet against Marysville-Pilchuck. Although the remainder of the team was healthy enough to compete, the Timberwolves were unable to compensate for the missing swimmers and fell to Tomahawks 112-71.

“I’m more concerned for the health of my athletes than I am for a negative impact on the season,” Jackson coach Drew Whorley said. “Swimming is important but there is only so much you can control. It’s more important to keep focus on the big picture.”