Update

[Oracle]

Still recovering from COVID after 8 days in the hospital. It's nasty stuff. Some of you prayed for me and I appreciate that.

My brother Pete, LU Captain '69, just relocated after 25 years in San Diego (very near Poway HS) to Edmond, OK. He is excited about LU coming out to OKLA ST for a dual this year. Hopefully, the season will proceed. The tentative schedule showing trips to Oregon St, Arizona St and Okla St is pretty noteworthy. Gives us great recruiting exposure and national cache.

Life goes on. Right about now our guys are working to break through. Tough schedule and a tough room. LU should be okay. Gotta chalk last year up to pure crap.

[D3 for LU]

I'm glad you survived that horrendous ordeal and come thru alive (AND well, hopefully, w/ no long term effects )
Agree w/ the nastiness of virus... to others out there that are on the fence, please get vaccinated.
(It's the way to go, if you want to end this pandemic. )

cheers!
D3

[TMH]

John,
I didn't know you were ill. There are some pent up vacationing going on so I figured you were part of the crew. I wish you well in you continued recovery. COVID has been a treacherous journey for everyone but for some far more than others. Continue to get well.

Legger has been noticeable by his absence recently since he fought his own battle with Covid. I hope he is fully recovered too.

I have been a cost/benefit guy my entire life. The benefits of the vaccine far, far outweigh the risks. Besides the obvious health consequences, the chance of losing another indoor season if we cannot control this is very real. I urge everyone to do the right thing.

[jdalu75]

Welcome back, LU in VT. I'm still shaking my head over the last coaches' meeting, where several coaches talked about some of their wrestlers who won't be vaccinated. Wondering how that's going to work out (esp. since all 17 EIWA schools require vaccinations of all students, except some rare exceptions).

[gimpeltf]

Just saw a segment on the full approval process that's on-going. If you had asked me right before if I thought it would make a huge difference in the percentage I would have said no. A lot of people say that's why but I think for most it's a convenient excuse. I hope I'm wrong. But one thing that changes my mind on the percent change is that having full approval will allow more companies and local governments and what not to mandate vaccinations. So even though a lot of people still probably wouldn't have done it on their own, more will out of necessity.

[mookie]

I'm still shaking my head over the last coaches' meeting, where several coaches talked about some of their wrestlers who won't be vaccinated. Wondering how that's going to work out (esp. since all 17 EIWA schools require vaccinations of all students, except some rare exceptions).

- Simple really. Just cut them from the squad.

[legger]

Still recovering from COVID after 8 days in the hospital. It's nasty stuff. Some of you prayed for me and I appreciate that.

**** John; sorry to hear about your ordeal, Blessings and Best Wishes for a Full Recovery. Yes it is indeed a nasty varmint. I came very close to going into the hospital, but my Dr. authorized me getting the Regeneron monoclonal infusion, which lessened the 103-04 fever and beastly headache (non stop for 2 1/2 weeks). Otherwise my wife and I have been in PA (Nazareth) for 7 months, taking care of a family member who just passed away yesterday. Really looking forward to the upcoming season and hopefully our guys will step up.

[TMH]

Welcome back, LU in VT. I'm still shaking my head over the last coaches' meeting, where several coaches talked about some of their wrestlers who won't be vaccinated. Wondering how that's going to work out (esp. since all 17 EIWA schools require vaccinations of all students, except some rare exceptions).

The last report I got was that about 2% of Lehigh students "opted out" which would be about 100 students. I am not aware of any of them being athletes but that doesn't mean none exist. Those who are not vaxxed will need to undergo significant testing during the school year.

[jdalu75]

Welcome back, LU in VT. I'm still shaking my head over the last coaches' meeting, where several coaches talked about some of their wrestlers who won't be vaccinated. Wondering how that's going to work out (esp. since all 17 EIWA schools require vaccinations of all students, except some rare exceptions).

The last report I got was that about 2% of Lehigh students "opted out" which would be about 100 students. I am not aware of any of them being athletes but that doesn't mean none exist. Those who are not vaxxed will need to undergo significant testing during the school year.

Even though I get to talk with the coaches once in a while, I really don't know how this is going to work out. Some teams have multiple wrestlers, including some of their best guys, who are refusing the vaccine. I've heard about religious and medical exemptions, but that they're also approved rarely.

Just my own opinion -- I don't see how any program can take the chance of being shut down again. Not two years in a row, not after the cancellation of NCAAs affected the end of a third year. If that means that every athlete must be vaccinated or be cut, if that means you only compete against other programs with the same rule, if that means you skip open tournaments for another year, then that's what it means.

I drove up to New Jersey on Wednesday to visit my Mom, who's in a rehab facility awaiting a heart procedure (she's 92) for a couple of days, before heading to Bethlehem today for Greg's service. Thursday morning, before I headed to the center, a new patient at the place tested positive for Covid; all non-essential visits were immediately canceled for the time being until everyone in the place tests negative. The heart procedure may be delayed because, with the positive test in the center, she can't be taken out for preliminary tests. Enough of this. Get the damned vaccine, wear the damned mask, and shut up about how we all have the right to infect our fellow citizens.

[jdalu75]

Here's how UVA is handling things: https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/20/us/uva-d ... index.html

Presumably those granted exemptions are tested at their own expense. Vaccine's a whole lot cheaper -- costs nothing.