Prep wrestling is off, then on again during wild day
Apr. 16—What an odd and perplexing day it was in New Mexico high school wrestling.
The New Mexico Activities Association was instructed to suspend the 2021 spring season, which it did on Thursday morning. However, by about 3 p.m. Thursday, with the go-ahead from the state's Medical Advisory Team, NMAA executive director Sally Marquez said, the season had been reinstated.
Athletes are returning to the mats and the wrestling room on Friday across the state, with practices and competitions.
But first, they endured some out-of-left-field pain.
"It was like heartache," said La Cueva senior wrestler Gavin Armijo. "Like, 'what are we gonna do next?' type situation."
At Cleveland, coach Evan Copeland sat his team down at about 3 p.m. Thursday to tell them the season was suspended. Barely 15 minutes later, he had received word that the season would, in fact, be allowed to continue.
"I broke down and fell on my face and had no words," Copeland said. His athletes, he said, were quick to rejoice.
"A bunch of kids dog-piled on top of me," Copeland said.
Similar scenes and timelines played out elsewhere, too — like at La Cueva, for example — with teams learning after school that their season was on hold, and then being told shortly thereafter that it was back on again.
"It was a good transition," Volcano Vista senior Moses Santiago said. "Not knowing what the possible future was, was a little bit on the scary side."
Marquez, reached in Indianapolis, said an uptick in positive COVID-19 cases among athletes, not only in New Mexico but nationwide, led the state to instruct the NMAA to suspend the season.
That news was passed along to the schools late Thursday morning.
Sometime between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., the decision was made to reinstate the season. The Journal spoke to the state's Medical Advisory Team office on Thursday afternoon, looking for clarity on the chain of information, and was told to take it up with the Public Education Department. A spokeswoman with PED said it was not they who made the call to suspend the season. An email and phone call to the spokeswoman for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham were not returned.
"We were told that the governor put us on a two-week pause due to an uptick in cases," Atrisco Heritage Academy wrestling coach Lorenzo Martinez said.
Marquez said she had spoken to the state's Medical Advisory Team on Wednesday night.
Throughout Thursday, the NMAA had follow-up discussions with the MAT, plus the PED and governor's office, Marquez said.
"I think what the public needs to understand is, we need to do a better job with following the governor's (safety) protocols in all sports," Marquez said. "That includes mask wearing, social distancing, and includes spectators. COVID is still here, so in order to get to the finish line for all sports, we need right now to do what's right."
The high school wrestling season ordinarily runs from about early December through mid- to late-February. This year's spring season began with practices on March 29, and ends with state tournaments May 27-29.
Asked if any other sports may be in jeopardy, Marquez declined to comment.
"At this point, it was just wrestling, because of the nature of the sport," she said.
So after being put through the emotional wringer, athletes will return to wrestling rooms for practices and to the gymnasium mats for dual matches or tournaments, as previously scheduled.
"It was a roller coaster of emotions," Cleveland junior Kymani Castillo said, adding, "It was pretty strange."
The NMAA is meeting with coaches and athletic directors around the state on Friday morning. Also, a special NMAA board meeting has been called for Monday morning — arranged before Thursday's wrestling developments.
But, in light of what happened Thursday, a new action item has been added to Monday's agenda which will address COVID-safe practices, Marquez said.
Meanwhile, wrestlers won't have to put those singlets away.
"We were excited," Armijo said. "Adrenaline started pumping through our veins again."
