On Friday, September 25 – as high school sports and activities remained on hold at DMPS due to being non-compliant with state educational mandates during a pandemic – all five high school teams gathered for a friendly 7 on 7 touch football tournament. Our communications director, Phil Roeder, went to take some photos and shares below his personal notes and thoughts about the event, along with a photo album.
It almost felt like a normal Friday night in September. A warm autumn evening. Cars filling a parking lot. A crowd arriving at a football field. Players and cheerleaders and TV cameras gathering along the sidelines.
Almost. But little is normal this school year, in Des Moines and across this country, and one way that has been evident at DMPS is high school sports and activities.
Frankly, a lot of adults have gotten in the way of kids who want to do the things they love. The Governor and her education officials said students in school districts that only offer online learning could not participate in extracurricular activities. The state high school athletic associations went along with this, informing DMPS that sports and activities had to end on the first day of classes. And the school district, since losing a court challenge nearly three weeks ago, has so far been unable to provide a clear answer about sports and activities as work is underway to become compliant with the state’s educational mandates.
But just because the adults might be in the way doesn’t mean the kids won’t find a way to play.
All five DMPS high school football teams gathered at the Rails Football Club fields, across the street from Water Works Park, for a 7-on-7 touch football tournament. It was organized by student team leaders from each high school who decided the best response to a bad situation was to bring the community together and play the game they love.
When the Star-Spangled Banner was played, the announcer noted it was the first time that the Huskies, Polar Bears, Rails, Roughriders and Scarlets were all lined up at mid-field together.
The games were fast. And fun. No shoulder pads. No helmets. All passing. Coaches joined parents and grandparents and siblings and students as spectators, everyone spread out (and masked) around the fields in lawn chairs or on a couple of small bleachers or simply leaning against a fence. Some high school cheer squads were on hand, too, contributing their talents to the festivities.
Earlier this week I reached out to two of the organizers of the event – Joshua Jenkins of Lincoln and Deavin Hilson of North – just to say good luck, that I was looking forward to seeing them play, and that even though it might not always feel like it a lot of adults were standing behind them. Honestly, they had every right to be angry or upset, but they could give most adults a lesson in grace. Joshua said “I really appreciate the love and support we’ve all been getting” and that they were “going to put on an amazing and entertaining show.” They were true to their word.
My vocation may be communications director for Des Moines Public Schools but my avocation is photography. I enjoy nothing more than the opportunity for those two things to come together, to get out from behind a desk and share a visual story of our students and teachers and schools. Those opportunities have been few and far between the past several months. Personally – and selfishly – Friday night was a gift for me to be able to see our students and families together, even if just for a couple of hours, and to hopefully share a look at some of the skill and joy of our football players.
No, in the end Friday night was not normal. There were no crisp white lines painted on the field. No refs in striped shirts. No bright lights or concession stands or halftime shows. No scores or stats that would count in the record book. But the chest bumps and high fives were real. The reactions to a touchdown pass or an interception were real. The joy and love of the game was real. And the desire that Des Moines students have the same opportunities as every other student in Iowa was very real.
As I got in the car to leave my vision became a little blurred. It couldn’t be tears. I’ll blame the setting sun.
