VA Coach wrote:
For what it's worth, the VHSL rescinded their mask mandate while running. It's only mandatory when not doing an activity.
This statement from VA Coach -- "It's only mandatory when not doing any activity" -- is pure nonsense. What??? A mask is only mandatory when not running??? Holy bejesus, is that person a wackjob, since he or she, if really a Virginia coach, should comprehend the truth!
Despite the VHSL (the VA public high schools governing body) rescinding their mask mandate, LCPS (Loudoun County Public Schools) still mandates that all runners must wear masks when running -- indoors or outdoors, racing or training.
At least one other LCPS indoor high school sport, boys wrestling, is exempt from such stringent rules. The rules are not equally applied, in other words. Naturally, wearing a mask while wrestling -- a close-contact sport, and a strenuous activity -- would not work, but the idiots at LCPS don’t even begin to understand the relationship between mask wearing and intense running.
Here’s what the Mayo Clinic’s website says about masks and exercise:
What should happen when exercising with a mask on?
In most situations, you should expect to experience an increase in your heart rate while exercising with a mask on. Because of this, people often experience a perceived increased rate of exertion and decreased performance during resistance training and aerobic exercise. This feeling is similar to the physical and psychological effects experienced while training in locations at higher altitudes.
Before you exercise with a mask on, consider decreasing your exertion level ― that means weight with resistance training or mileage in aerobic activities, like running and biking ― to a lower level than you would have done when not masked.
If you wear a mask while exercising, be aware of:
• Dizziness
• Drowsiness
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Muscular weakness
• Overall discomfort
• Shortness of breath
If you experience these symptoms, stop and take a break until they subside. If able, remove your mask and try taking a few calming breaths. This can restore your breathing levels, and reduces the stress on your heart and lungs. If these symptoms continue or worsen, stop the activity. In serious cases, seek medical help.
Sure, all track & field athletes can successfully drape a mask over the ears to cover the nose and mouth. However, if any runner reading this, particularly a distance runner, has tried to wear a mask during all-out efforts, even one of the best masks available, the lack of oxygen becomes obvious. The heat generation and expelled air lead to rapid moisture buildup, which makes breathing even more difficult. Less oxygen = a worse performance, and maybe even worse physical problems, like wooziness and even collapsing.
And masks get clogged by sweat and so forth. Do you expect runners to change their masks in mid-race? Yeah, everyone else should slow down to allow this necessity!
I'm not talking about jogging. Think, instead, of strenuous training and racing. Imagine trying to run a 1600 when not able to breathe properly, and/or in a race with kids from other schools who are not required to wear masks. Not only is a mask a disadvantage, but also the mask is a health risk. Not to be forgotten is the fact that some runners would be so intensely focused upon the competition, the clock, and the goal that they would likely not even know the trouble they were getting into. Think of Alberto Salazar in 1978’s Falmouth Road Race, when he was read the last rites after collapsing with a body temperature of 108°. He wore blinders while fiercely competing, sometimes ignoring the conditions, such as the heat and humidity at Falmouth, MA in that race.
Or think of how he ran himself ragged (and never ran as well again) when battling Dick Beardsley to win the 1982 "Duel in the Sun" Boston Marathon.
Try to imagine him running and training with a mask on, as mandated by his school’s governing body.
There will frequently be runners on a team who have asthma or other bronchial issues. It may be difficult enough to run without a mask in some conditions for these kids, such as those with cold temperature-induced asthma. Forcing a mask over their airways can have further serious consequences.
I wouldn't want to be a high school coach responsible for the potential physical harm that can happen and the decreased performance that will happen to a kid as a result of mask wearing, not that a terrible case will result every time. A coach is in command of young lives, and there is a moral responsibility here.
So the Hunters are stepping aside? I DON’T BLAME THEM! GOOD FOR THEM THAT THEY MADE A DECISION BASED ON THEIR CONCERN FOR THE KIDS' WELFARE!