TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The last time Leon County public school sports teams were allowed to train together in person was March, but on Monday fall sports teams had their first day back. Although it came with guidelines to follow, it was a small price to pay to get back to work.
For the Leon High School volleyball team fresh off their Class 6A State State Championship, it's been a long few months out of the gym.
The Lady Lions have been working out three times a week over Zoom while they were out of school, and the team back got to workout face-to-face Monday, staying six feet apart.
"More excited than I thought I would be," said Delaney Atwood, a rising senior at Leon. "Two months without Leon volleyball is unheard of."
Each athlete has their own volleyball to work with and there's no passing between girls just yet.
Things a little bit different but they agree there's nothing like being back in a gym.
"Most of these kids picked a team atmosphere to be part of a team," said Angie Strickland, head volleyball coach at Leon High School. "That excitement truly is going to come out this week when they actually get to see each other. It's funny, they try to high five, and we're like, 'No, you can't high five!'"
"It's going to be a little different since we won't be able to play together," said Macy Maxwell, a senior on the lady Lions volleyball team. "It's still going to be working us out more and we're going to be better with the little things. It's definitely going to be different not working with each other."
High school football teams are back at it, too, and, like the Leon volleyball team, things having to be done to specific guidelines. But, everyone is happy to get back to work.
"Today's been amazing, glad to see the guys again," said Quintin Lewis, the head football coach at Rickards. "Lot of them are healthy and ready to go. They're anxious to get going."
"I've been stuck in the house just trying to find things to do, so it's really exciting to get back with my boys and get back to work," Godby senior De'Shawn Rucker said.
They're getting back to work, even if things looked a little bit different.
"They've been really good about staying apart and sanitizing as much as possible," said Brandon McCray, the head football coach at Godby.
"We've been doing a really good job of keeping them away from each other," Lewis said.
"You'll hear us over and over, 'six feet! Six feet,'" said Strickland.
"It's kind of weird with just having them split up so much," McCray said. "They're used to being in larger groups, but it's really been a good day."
A good day to feel normal again.
"We're getting back into things," said Macy Maxwell, a rising senior at Leon. "Just glad to have everybody back. Work as a team more now that we're not separated."
"I feel like it'll make us better to come together as a team," Rucker said. "We go through a lot of adversity on the field. To know that everybody else is going through it, it means a lot. We're just trying to push through."
There's nothing like pushing through on the first day back after a long three months.
Right now, fall sports seasons are scheduled to begin as normal, but local officials note at what capacity is still being determined.
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Over the weekend a high school state champion was crowned
