After a year when gyms were dark and playing fields empty of athletes, the return to high school sports during the 2021-22 school year has a familiar sound.

"One thing you won't see but you will experience is an electric feeling of excitement, a buzz that is difficult to put into words. The feeling of the bleachers shaking as the students erupted in cheers last week as our senior boys punched their ticket to the city final," said Emily Humbert a teacher, coach, and athletic director at Bedford Road Collegiate.

"A real characteristic of our school and our athletic program is students want to be in the gym and they want to be a part of the culture we are creating in sport."

Humbert, along with two Bedford Road student athletes, were among a group that highlighted the successful return of extracurricular sports during the Saskatoon Board of Education meeting held March 16.

Jud Heilman of the Saskatoon Secondary Schools Athletic Directorate (SSSAD), which coordinates high school sports for both Saskatoon school divisions as well as three associate schools, said the resumption of high school sports beginning last September has been a resounding success.

"Two years ago, almost to the day, we paused high school sports in Saskatoon and around the province," Heilman said. "Obviously, this brought many questions and uncertainties about our eventual return. I am proud to stand here today and let everyone at this meeting know our return has been triumphant and we are healthier than we have ever been.

"We have 6,000 student athletes participating on 330 teams in 39 leagues and we have had over 2,000 scheduled games. To make this happen we relied on 500 volunteer school coaches and 16 athletic directors in our schools, and many community partners, countless officials and volunteers, as well as senior leadership in both school divisions."

Heilman said the interest and level of participation in high school sports after a year away has highlighted its importance to school communities and the many benefits sports offer to athletes and others within the school.

Humbert said there was concern student participation might decrease this year, but it's been the exact opposite. Bedford Road has experienced an interest in extracurricular athletics that it had not seen in years prior to the pandemic.

"Sports are really the heartbeat of our school. Not only are they an integral piece to every student athlete's experience in high school, but sports can also be the perfect avenue to develop academic excellence and rich character, foster engagement, and promote holistic wellbeing," she said.

"A unique aspect of Bedford Road is the majority of our student athletes do not participate in sport outside of school. Being unable to have extracurricular sport last year was an extremely challenging time for our school community. That feeling when you see students create new connections and friendships through sport, these are the moments you realize it is so much more than a game. We are so grateful to have this buzz back in our schools."

The impact on individual student athletes has been just as profound. For Katie Desjarlais, volleyball season served as her welcome to Bedford Road. The Grade 12 student was attending a city high school for the first time, and it was participation in sports that helped smooth her introduction to a new school in a new community.

"My mental health has actually improved due to sports and school because I am more engaged with my studies," she told trustees. "My physical health has also improved because of being more active."

For Hifsa Noor, who competed in volleyball, basketball, track and field, and soccer before the pandemic shutdown, the year-long absence of sports felt like losing a piece of her identity. She told trustees that participation in sports taught her patience, which brought calmness, perseverance, and diligence into her life. It also helped Noor find balance, which pushed her to put forward her best effort in the classroom.

"I realized that those skills I had learned through my time as a student athlete, such as balance and patience, are what's going to help me through this difficult time," she said.

"We can do hard things. It's a code I learned from Miss Humbert which really played a huge part in how I engaged with my time way from sports. The return to sports this year has been an absolute highlight. You realize how much of a privilege it is to be able to be part of such an amazing community at Bedford. Sports has been a huge part of my high school career and has changed my life."