It’s hard to say who’s more excited for school sports to be back in session: the students or the parents! As vaccinations become more available and warm weather invites us all to be outside, families are ready to bring the kids back to play their favorite sports again. At Mount de Sales, safety is our top priority for our students, pandemic or no pandemic. We are both impressed and inspired with how our athletic department makes our fields and courts safe for students and their families. 

With the time we’ve had, COVID safety has been the biggest concern for families: how are we maintaining social distancing, are masks being enforced, and how do we keep our facilities clean? We maintain social distancing in the weight room, especially throughout the summer, by grouping the kids into smaller teams to spread out. Masks are worn in the locker rooms (and enforced at all times). We also use a disinfectant spray on our weight room equipment daily at Cavalier Fields to limit the spread of germs. 

But safety goes beyond a pandemic protocol. We have consistently invested in the overall health and well-being of our student-athletes from day one. With competitive play comes the risk for injury and we are prepared. At both Cavalier Fields and our main campus, Mount de Sales employs a full-time certified athletic trainer, Mrs. Amanda Windon. Have you met her? Mrs. Windon evaluates every student-athlete’s injury for both campuses. At Cavalier Fields, we have an athletic training room located in Slocum fieldhouse. Students have access to taping, bracing, and/or splinting for injuries. When a student is injured, she is normally involved beyond the day the injury occurs. She offers pre- and post-surgical rehabilitation programs and rehab programs for overuse injuries to provide support for a long-term plan to get your child back to playing the games they love. 

In Macon during the summer, heat exhaustion is also a major safety concern our coaches watch out for. Students always have access to ice and water as well as a whirlpool tub Mrs. Windon will use to submerge an athlete in to reduce their core temperature. Hydration is critical as well as using sunscreen to prevent sunburns. 

With all sports, there is always a risk of injury.  We encourage parents to help their children prepare for these situations. Students are required to have a physical every year to play any MDS sport. We recommend taking your child to as many off-season workouts as possible to help them retain muscle memory and continue practice. For those who travel for sports, it’s important to allow kids to take breaks when they can. And finally, a really important piece of advice: eating well! Putting good healthy food into their bodies puts out the energy needed to play well. 

Mount de Sales always cares about the health and well-being of it’s student-athletes so they can get out and play. Ten sports camps are happening this summer at Mount de Sales Academy’s Camp Cavalier and kids from around the Middle Georgia community are welcome to join in the fun! Please visit www.mtdesales.link/camps to learn more and sign up today!

Mount de Sales Academy is a private Catholic school located in Macon, GA, and serves students in Bibb, Houston, Jones, Monroe, Peach and other surrounding counties. MDS is sponsored and inspired by the Sisters of Mercy. Since 1876, MDS has served a diverse college-preparatory community of learners—students and teachers alike—who are poised to discover, challenged to innovate, and motivated to serve.