Daughter freaking out about having to wear mask while playing soccer -moco

[Anonymous]

This is a hard time and she is just freaking out. There are some things where you let the kid lead and some things where you help them push through. This is one where you help her push through. Bribe, cajole, lecture, whatever it takes to get her on the practice field. The mask in reality is a non-issue, this is about pushing through the freak out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about a neck gaiter?

Particle splitters. Worse than no mask at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK, OP, here's what you do. You buy your daughter a surgical mask and have her pull it down her face so that her mouth is covered but her nose is exposed. It's so much easier to breath this way, but you look like you're masked up.
You are welcome.

No. That is irresponsible. Also, the rules do apply to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, she needs to build up the ability to do this. So she either gets to enjoy her sport by herself or she builds the skill of mask wearing to play on a team.

You making an ultimatum won’t help her do either.

+1. It's because shes not use to it. My elementary kids have been in camp and preschool for 2 months so its 2nd nature to them now. My son has no problem scrimmaging in it..he has not done a game yet but he said he doesn't care about it..

It will take practice.

With all due respect, the level or soccer or a 15 year old travel kid means they can run 7 min miles, sprint hard over and do this with intensity for 80 minutes. Often in above 90 degrees and on turf That is a little different than elementary kids. Moco is one of the few counties with this rule in the country. Data does not show high risk since you are next to another person for split seconds

I think the serious teams are playing outside the county as much as possible. Practices with mask are not as difficult as coaches know this is tough running hard with them on in 90+ weather and take breaks

. And take time to write council members and state health department. When the council members voted, this was not part of the discussion. State health department said soccer did not need to wear mask

And until then, OP's daughter needs to wear a mask or she can't play. Life lesson.

[Anonymous]

My daughter is taking the year off for this reason. Her decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about a neck gaiter?

Particle splitters. Worse than no mask at all.

Actually no. They have redone the tests and when the gaiter is double folded it is quite effective.

https://www.boston.com/news/coronavirus/2020/08/25/neck-gaiters

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is taking the year off for this reason. Her decision.

Did you tell her she does nit have a lot of years for this? Once you are out of high school most kids are done with organized soccer.

[Anonymous]

OP, your 15 y.o. daughter has my full sympathy. The MoCo rule mandating masks during games is uninformed, unscientific, clueless about risk evaluations, and was announced as an afterthought at a press conference (two days after the original decision of the county council, which didn't mention masks during games). And "this is the law/rule" is a lazy and dishonest defense. Human history is replete with rules and laws, ranging from the merely capricious to the downright dangerous, that society has later regretted. Countries that do know a thing or two about soccer wouldn't dream of having their children play an insanely active sport, which lasts up to 45 uninterrupted minutes at one stretch comprising of up to 20 sprints, wearing a mask that impedes their breathing and lung functioning for several hours a week. It's insanity. No public health authority recommends mask-wearing during intense physical activity, even for adults, let alone kids, when one is outside. Not one peer-reviewed study has shown incidental, fleeting contact can spread Covid19 outdoors (laboratory settings do not count); or one instance of soccer games or practices outdoors seeding outbreaks. Combine this (lack of) evidence with the low community infection and test positivity rate of MoCo and our entire region, and ask yourself why that minuscule risk (mostly fear) justifies reducing the oxygen intake of young athletes while playing an intense sport for several hours a week or day.

Here is what OP's daughter may be contending with. Mild claustrophobia from wearing a mask that some kids have, which is compounded during intense athletic activity when one is panting to breath even without a mask. And the psychological cost, which comes from a legitimate fear of not being able to perform at full capacity. This is not just a question of vanity, but also safety. High level athletes rely on fine-tuned instincts, reactions and muscle memories that can be thrown off by little things, and wearing something covering your nose while running is not a little thing. When the timing and reactions are off, they can feel insecure and unsafe, a bit like a skater or a biker would if their equipment was slightly off while competing. You don't just worry about playing worse than the other players, you also worry about over-compensating and hurting yourself and your teammates as you stretch and strain unnaturally to compensate for the handicap you have been assigned by clueless, paranoid adults.

My son, who is on a U17 MLS league academy team, finds masks to be a major discomfort during their intense daily practices. He can't imagine playing full games wearing them. Till now it's not been necessary as no county in the entire region other than MoCo requires them during games. Other than the breathing issues in high heat and humidity, which also makes some of the masks pretty wet and useless halfway through the practice, he has another interesting insight that makes sense when I actually tried dribbling a ball with a mask on. It affects peripheral vision downward (they can't see the ball with their head up while dribbling, which they would normally without a mask blocking their peripheral vision), which screws up their dribbling and even passing (as they focus extra on the unnatural dribbling) at anywhere near their normal speed. Also leads to some players mis-timing tackles and charges, which carries a higher risk of injury. My other kid, at a lower age and lower level, does not have those issues, but doesn't like the impediment to breathing while running.

OP: the following ideas might help your daughter deal with this better, till the rule changes. (a) Get her surgical masks - they are much better for physical activity as they "breathe" better; (b) ask her to take 2 masks for practices, to allow for changing when they get wet or smelly; (c) ask her to consider NOT wearing her mask when the coach doesn't need her to, so that she gets less tired of wearing them and can minimize the duration to when they are mandated (e.g. scrimmages, pressure drills and rondos). This sounds strange, but some kids may feel compelled to wear them even when they don't need to for certain drills, especially if their best friends on the team are wearing them at all times. Peer pressure works in many different ways. (d) when things get too tiring or yukky during a scrimmage (wet, smelly masks), she can adjust - pulling the mask down while she is running 10-15 yards away from others to breathe better, but pulling them up when other players approach. Above all, please do not dismiss her fears, which are much more rational than the fears of those who ignore science and evidence to claim that the minuscule risks of outdoor transmission of Covid among 15-year olds in our county outweigh the risks of impeding respiration while playing an intense sport in high heat and humidity. Instead, you can encourage her to take this on as an additional (and temporary) challenge, and perhaps use it to strengthen some aspects of her game (like fitness) while being careful not to acquire bad habits (like peering down awkwardly at the ball while dribbling). Finally, rest assured that not many games will be played at "home" in MoCo as not a single county in our region mandates masks during soccer games, including Baltimore, Howard, PG county and Fairfax. If your daughter realized that, she might be less worried about wearing a mask. Most of her apprehension probably comes from the thought of having to play a high-stakes home game (every league game could be high-stakes to a player playing it) where she doesn't want to let her team down by playing poorly while wearing a mask.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about a neck gaiter?

Particle splitters. Worse than no mask at all.

Never heard this. Gaiters are very popular among the older kids and teens..even at soccer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is taking the year off for this reason. Her decision.

That seems like a long time for a decision that will probably different in a couple or few months.

[Anonymous]

Apparently was discussed last Friday on call with council and Dr Gayles. ... so if this goes like last time, maybe it changes in a month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apparently was discussed last Friday on call with council and Dr Gayles. ... so if this goes like last time, maybe it changes in a month.

OP here - thanks for all the support and advice. She is going to try out her first practice with masks tomorrow. We'll see how it goes! i have several different types, including the disposable, for her to trial. And her coach said that they won't need to wear them for some parts of the practice. So fingers crossed it goes well! She's so nervous about it, and with the first day of 10th grade online today I think its all been a little much for her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apparently was discussed last Friday on call with council and Dr Gayles. ... so if this goes like last time, maybe it changes in a month.

OP here - thanks for all the support and advice. She is going to try out her first practice with masks tomorrow. We'll see how it goes! i have several different types, including the disposable, for her to trial. And her coach said that they won't need to wear them for some parts of the practice. So fingers crossed it goes well! She's so nervous about it, and with the first day of 10th grade online today I think its all been a little much for her.

GOOD LUCK!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, your 15 y.o. daughter has my full sympathy. The MoCo rule mandating masks during games is uninformed, unscientific, clueless about risk evaluations, and was announced as an afterthought at a press conference (two days after the original decision of the county council, which didn't mention masks during games). And "this is the law/rule" is a lazy and dishonest defense. Human history is replete with rules and laws, ranging from the merely capricious to the downright dangerous, that society has later regretted. Countries that do know a thing or two about soccer wouldn't dream of having their children play an insanely active sport, which lasts up to 45 uninterrupted minutes at one stretch comprising of up to 20 sprints, wearing a mask that impedes their breathing and lung functioning for several hours a week. It's insanity. No public health authority recommends mask-wearing during intense physical activity, even for adults, let alone kids, when one is outside. Not one peer-reviewed study has shown incidental, fleeting contact can spread Covid19 outdoors (laboratory settings do not count); or one instance of soccer games or practices outdoors seeding outbreaks. Combine this (lack of) evidence with the low community infection and test positivity rate of MoCo and our entire region, and ask yourself why that minuscule risk (mostly fear) justifies reducing the oxygen intake of young athletes while playing an intense sport for several hours a week or day.

Here is what OP's daughter may be contending with. Mild claustrophobia from wearing a mask that some kids have, which is compounded during intense athletic activity when one is panting to breath even without a mask. And the psychological cost, which comes from a legitimate fear of not being able to perform at full capacity. This is not just a question of vanity, but also safety. High level athletes rely on fine-tuned instincts, reactions and muscle memories that can be thrown off by little things, and wearing something covering your nose while running is not a little thing. When the timing and reactions are off, they can feel insecure and unsafe, a bit like a skater or a biker would if their equipment was slightly off while competing. You don't just worry about playing worse than the other players, you also worry about over-compensating and hurting yourself and your teammates as you stretch and strain unnaturally to compensate for the handicap you have been assigned by clueless, paranoid adults.

My son, who is on a U17 MLS league academy team, finds masks to be a major discomfort during their intense daily practices. He can't imagine playing full games wearing them. Till now it's not been necessary as no county in the entire region other than MoCo requires them during games. Other than the breathing issues in high heat and humidity, which also makes some of the masks pretty wet and useless halfway through the practice, he has another interesting insight that makes sense when I actually tried dribbling a ball with a mask on. It affects peripheral vision downward (they can't see the ball with their head up while dribbling, which they would normally without a mask blocking their peripheral vision), which screws up their dribbling and even passing (as they focus extra on the unnatural dribbling) at anywhere near their normal speed. Also leads to some players mis-timing tackles and charges, which carries a higher risk of injury. My other kid, at a lower age and lower level, does not have those issues, but doesn't like the impediment to breathing while running.

OP: the following ideas might help your daughter deal with this better, till the rule changes. (a) Get her surgical masks - they are much better for physical activity as they "breathe" better; (b) ask her to take 2 masks for practices, to allow for changing when they get wet or smelly; (c) ask her to consider NOT wearing her mask when the coach doesn't need her to, so that she gets less tired of wearing them and can minimize the duration to when they are mandated (e.g. scrimmages, pressure drills and rondos). This sounds strange, but some kids may feel compelled to wear them even when they don't need to for certain drills, especially if their best friends on the team are wearing them at all times. Peer pressure works in many different ways. (d) when things get too tiring or yukky during a scrimmage (wet, smelly masks), she can adjust - pulling the mask down while she is running 10-15 yards away from others to breathe better, but pulling them up when other players approach. Above all, please do not dismiss her fears, which are much more rational than the fears of those who ignore science and evidence to claim that the minuscule risks of outdoor transmission of Covid among 15-year olds in our county outweigh the risks of impeding respiration while playing an intense sport in high heat and humidity. Instead, you can encourage her to take this on as an additional (and temporary) challenge, and perhaps use it to strengthen some aspects of her game (like fitness) while being careful not to acquire bad habits (like peering down awkwardly at the ball while dribbling). Finally, rest assured that not many games will be played at "home" in MoCo as not a single county in our region mandates masks during soccer games, including Baltimore, Howard, PG county and Fairfax. If your daughter realized that, she might be less worried about wearing a mask. Most of her apprehension probably comes from the thought of having to play a high-stakes home game (every league game could be high-stakes to a player playing it) where she doesn't want to let her team down by playing poorly while wearing a mask.

+1/2 because you pointed out how ridiculous this is. You don't get +1 because you failed to advocate full on civil disobedience.

In my view the OP should suggest that his daughter's only truly moral course of action in the face of such a useless, tyrannical, inhuman mandate by a heartless and incompetent government would be to tear off her mask and refuse to leave the field, and with athleticism and agiity elude any potential attenpt to capture her or impede her liberty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about a neck gaiter?

Particle splitters. Worse than no mask at all.

Actually no. They have redone the tests and when the gaiter is double folded it is quite effective.

https://www.boston.com/news/coronavirus/2020/08/25/neck-gaiters

I was going to say the same. The consensus is that it is *much better* than no mask at all and that, doubled up, it performs as well as other two-layer masks.