(WXYZ) — High school winter contact sports will be back in action after being sidelined for weeks.
The return comes after a statewide push by athletes, parents and coaches to "Let Them Play."
With sports resuming later than normal at this point, that means a packed scheduled. 7 Action News caught up with the captain of Grosse Pointe South's girl's basketball team along with the hockey team at Livonia Stevenson. Both teams start Wednesday.
"We've just been practicing for the last two, three months and now that we got the green light to play, it's just really exciting," said Ian Kimble, a senior on Livonia Stevenson's hockey team.
The team is preparing to play three to four games a week over the next six weeks. After multiple false starts, hindered by COVID-19 restrictions, they say they're not taking this time for granted, but will take the necessary safety precautions.
"We've talked about stretching at the rink and just always masking up, making sure we have our shields and masks on the ice,"Livonia Stevenson senior Ayden Adamic said. "Just making sure that we're all state protocol ready."
Kamryn Richards, captain of Grosse Pointe South's girls varsity basketball team, says having played AAU basketball, a packed schedule is run of the mill.
"It's not like we'll have a lot of spectators, I could care less if we have spectators," she said. "I'm just glad we'll be able to play."
Richards says the challenge her team is prepared for is consistently following COVID-19 protocols.
The first contests for competitive cheer and wrestling are on Feb. 12.
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