As winter sports begin to rev up, the students of Loyola Academy cannot wait to see what it has in store. With basketball, bowling, track and field, boys swimming, competitive cheer and more, the school is more than excited to get the season started.

Last year in the midst of COVID, sports had many modifications to their seasons, mostly involving the “game day” scenario. Many could not actually compete against other schools, making it totally different compared to past seasons. This was a tough change for our athletes here at Loyola.

Bowling lost in-person matches, having moderators come and keep track of scores. They then compared said scores to the opposing team, revealing their winner.

“The biggest difference beyond going to different bowling centers, will be actually competing against real live bowlers from other schools,” says girls’ Coach Bruce Tres.

Basketball was delayed, starting in December and going until late March, rather than starting in November and going until February. This year, the team is ecstatic to start their season on time.

Competitive cheer, although, was a whole new level. They were not allowed to stunt at all, or compete in general.

“We basically lost an entire season — the things we were allowed to do were so limited,” says senior and cheerleader Aisling Tonkinson.

The team members submitted videos of their routines at every “competition” and waited for the results. This year, cheer is excited to be back in the gymnasium and competing once again.

Ramblers Hockey has had a pretty successful season. With only losing to Stevenson, LAG’s record at the moment is 4-1. Masks are not needed while playing the game, so this was a huge plus for the teammates. Great news for my fellow hockey lovers: fans do not have to wear masks in the stands at most ice arenas.

Unlike the other sports, track and field did not have much of a change last year. Because they were outdoors, runners could take off their masks once they began running.

“We only had to wear them whenever we had a meet inside,” adds senior Lilly Weber.

Even though most sports are still required to wear masks, it all seems worth it as long as they have their season. A lot of athletes dedicate their whole lives to these sports, and it was a shame to see it put on hold.

We hope to see you at all of the games, meets, and matches that are lined up for the Loyola Ramblers!