There is a new game plan for sports this year at Ramaz. Although Ramaz sports teams will not be competing against other yeshivas this fall, the school hopes that Ramaz athletes will be prepared when games resume. To reach this goal, Ramaz is providing training opportunities for student athletes. 

As the first step to resume sports, Ramaz will be administering workouts for boys and girls basketball, boys hockey, and table tennis. The objective of the workouts is to provide students with the fundamentals of various sports. There are no tryouts for the workouts and students can opt to participate in a workout. During the workouts students will work on drills that will help athletes improve their skills. Ramaz hired basketball and hockey coaches to manage these workouts;  The coaches will help students develop effective skills in their respective sports.

Workouts will differ from team practices in the past because they will be socially-distanced and between one grade. Athletes will not make contact with each other on the court, rather, they will work alone on drills. Each student will receive their own equipment, which will be sanitized following each workout. Unlike the past where teams consisted of two grades or all grades in high school, workouts will only be available to one grade at a time to prevent the integration of cohorts. Unfortunately, workouts will not be provided in all sports because some sports are merely not conducive to covid protocols. For example, there will not be volleyball workouts because volleyball drills demand two people hitting the ball back and forth to each other. 

Sports seasons used to be one of the many highlights for students’ time in high school. Participating in sports added a more personal connection to these seasons. Teams had many practices and also travelled together to other schools. One defining element of joining a sports team used to be the opportunity to bond with teammates. Gabby Sakhai ’21 said, “I have been on the basketball team since my freshman year and it is more than just a sports team. There is a sense of community shared by the team and the team members share a common passion for the sport. I will deeply miss playing on the basketball team this year.” Teams enable students to form relationships with students from different grades. 

While aspects of our world shift, Ramaz adapts and adjusts aspects of our school to fit that world. Even though sports will be executed differently this year than past years, it is noteworthy that students will receive a chance to practice the sports they love.