Winter sports teams are not allowed to hold official practices right now, but that didn't stop the Alexandria basketball players from taking advantage of the nice weather last Wednesday by getting outside.
While the boys and girls basketball teams anxiously wait for the state-wide shutdown to end, several players from grades 8-12 gathered at Matt Kjelland Memorial Courts to get some shots up. It’s an effort to stay in shape mentally and physically with athletes hoping they can safely play a winter season in the coming months.
“It’s been awesome to see these kids take initiative during this time,” Alexandria girls basketball head coach Wendy Kohler said. “I can’t be the one to hold practices or anything like that right now. These kids are amazing, and they’re fired up. They’re excited to get back out there.”
Kohler’s was not at the outdoor courts last week and by rule cannot lead practices during the pause in sports. Outside of school-led online workouts, the players are breaking off into smaller groups led by the seniors. These virtual sessions are a way for the veterans to introduce the Cardinal’s style of play to the rookies.
“All of this is senior driven because they know this is it,” Kohler said. “They’ve been so awesome and so great with their younger teammates. And these younger girls have been so good too. Just thinking about the boys and the girls getting out there (Wednesday) is really special. I think everybody wants to get a little normalcy these days.”
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Winter sports teams are likely to find out this week if the pause in sports will be extended or not after Dec. 18, with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz expected to address the issue on Wednesday.
