By Ellie Daniels, MSAT, LAT, ATC
The Department of Defense Education Activities (DoDEA) is an often-overlooked system of schools that serves a very specific group of students – the children of U.S. military personnel and government employees stationed overseas. Just like the rest of the world, DoDEA’s schools have had to make adjustments to their sports calendars since COVID-19 appeared. Like in most school districts, this has not been an easy task to accomplish, but DoDEA schools are spread throughout multiple countries in both Europe and Asia, compounding the complexity of uniformity while abiding by separate country regulations and restrictions. During non-pandemic times, DoDEA school sports follow a very typical sports schedule. Fall sports showcase football, volleyball, tennis and cross country; winter sports present basketball, cheerleading and wrestling; and spring brings track, baseball and softball.
In March of 2020 DoDEA schools in all countries went to a virtual platform for the remainder of the school year, meaning that no sports took place in the latter half of the spring season. Over summer, administrators met regularly to discuss global virus statuses and what that meant for the schools and sports alike. The decision was ultimately made that the only sport permitted to continue during the fall season was cross country, albeit with several adjustments and minimal travel for events.
For a brief moment volleyball was given the go-ahead to compete as a winter sport in both Europe and Asia. However, with a second wave of COVID hitting Europe during October of 2020, the coaches and athletes are currently waiting to see if they will be able to move forward again toward the end of December with volleyball taking place as a winter sport this year. If that is permitted there will still be no major travel, meaning schools may have to be shifted into completely different leagues to cut out any overnight trips previously on their schedule. However, to make up for a lack of most major fall sports and provide some sense of normalcy, DoDEA-Europe did hold a new competition at the end of October, the Athletic Fitness Games. Held virtually over the course of several days, athletes competed in the standing broad jump, kneeling basketball throw, 200-meter sprint, a pro-agility test, pushups, sit-ups, wall sits and a 3200-meter team run against other DoDEA schools around Europe.
Schools in DoDEA-Pacific have come up with creative ways to compete as well, hosting a virtual cross country championship competition at the end of the season and having virtual cheerleading competitions during the winter. Most schools in DoDEA-Pacific have been given permission to add basketball into their winter sports competition for the year, although football and wrestling will not be played this year at all. Of course, this is also subject to any specific country restrictions and major travel to other countries for sports is not permitted.
Just like in most schools, the guidelines and restrictions have changed throughout the school year. We are all feeling out the pandemic in the best way we know how and hope that at least next school year will bring back what we’ve missed in 2020.
