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Smokey Idaho skies. Photo courtesy of wikimedia commons. https://www.flickr.com/photos/cifraser/29036857306/. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

The skies are smokey, the sun is deep orange, and soccer players are coughing. The poor air quality at RMHS, due to the fires in Idaho, is affecting girls’ JV soccer practices. Although these air quality changes are challenging, RMHS girls’ JV soccer is finding ways to push through and still bond despite cancelled practices. Angeline Boinde, freshman, says, “Yesterday practice got cancelled but that did not stop us from coming together as a team and talking about yesterday’s game. We talked about what we did good, and what we can improve on.” This shows that not only soccer players work hard at practice, but also in tough situations. As Boinde stated, they improved themselves, and bonded as a team, even with the tough air quality situations, showing their resilience and will to never give up as a team. When playing in air quality conditions, it has to be lower than 150 to be able to play school sports in the West Ada School District, the graph below shows what each zone looks like due to the air quality numbers.

Team bonding is really important for the RMHS girls JV soccer team. Players on this team believe that team bonding brings them closer together and helps reduce drama within the team, and problem solve. Josie Dalby, freshman, states “Team bonding helps our team connect more and understand what we can do better inside and outside of practice. Even when our practice was cancelled, we still got together and bonded.” As Dalby states, being connected as a team is very beneficial for being a team. When they are connected as a team, it is easier to understand and identify problems the soccer team is having, so they can find solutions, while understanding each other, and where they are coming from. Even while going through these hard air quality challenges, the RMHS girls JV soccer team is finding time to bond.

Finding times to make up missed practices due to weather challenges, especially poor air quality, is valued greatly by the RMHS girls JV soccer team. Boinde says, “Although our practices have been cancelled, we have rescheduled practices and are doing as much as we can in order to better ourselves during all of this going on.” This shows how much this girls soccer team is dedicated. Although their practices have been canceled, they are still showing up and doing as much as they can in these conditions.

Making decisions is important to the Rocky soccer coaches, on what to do with practices. Head girls soccer coach, Erin Simmonsen, states, “As an outdoor sport, when and if we do, which has been limited need…we are faced with 3 decisions always…Live with it, end it or change it.  We choose to change it as much as we can in our decision-making factor.” They most often choose to change it. The West Ada School District (WASD) does not allow any outdoor teams, practice or compete with air quality changes 151 or above, so they cannot practice outside during those times. They instead decide that change is the best way to go on about their practice, by running in the halls of RMHS after school, talking about how they can better themselves during gameplay, and bonding as a team.

Playing soccer can be stressful, and it is important to the RMHS girls soccer coaches to allow stress reliving activities during these air quality challenges. Simmonsen states, “This year we were also able to just take a day to be humans and interact as such heading to Reed’s Dairy for a scoop of ice cream as a team activity…remembering we must enjoy the journey also.” This is not only a stress-relieving activity for the girls’ soccer team, but it is also getting them active on the days they can’t practice. This is also showing the girls that they and their team is still strong and connect outside of the field.

Even while going through all of this, Rocky Mountain High School girls JV soccer, is strong, and willing to push through and find solutions to these air quality challenges, as well as weather challenges the forecast holds.