Marshalltown Activities Director Ryan Isgrig said it has been a difficult few weeks.

“It’s disappointing right now,” Isgrig said. “Selfishly, I’ve always really enjoyed the springtime, just because I love seeing the number of kids that are out for sports and the fine arts because there’s so much that is going on.”

Isgrig had a meeting with his coaches Tuesday over Zoom to check in on them and see where everyone’s head was at. He said it’s been a disheartening time, especially with the enthusiasm around the school for sports — especially soccer, where Isgrig said 114 kids signed up to play.

The amount of interest is one reason boys’ soccer coach Scott Johannes hopes the state has done enough to flatten the curve so sports can resume as soon as possible.

T-R FILE PHOTO - Marshalltown’s Amber Henson tees off on the third hole at the American Legion Memorial Golf Course ]during the Bobcats’ 2019 opener against Waukee on April 9.

“The sooner that we can get that going, it will make everyone feel better,” Johannes said. “We’re a great community that reaches out and makes things better.”

The Iowa High School Athletic Association and Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union recently released a tentative start date for its spring sports of May 1. Whether the spring sports actually begin on that date is reliant on a quick recovery in Iowa from the COVID-19 outbreak — the state had over 1,000 cases as of Tuesday and schools are closed through April 30. The IHSAA and IGHSAU will have to hope for Gov. Kim Reynolds to not extend the social distancing guidelines and school closures any further in order to meet their new schedule.

The tentative schedule significantly shortens the timetable for spring sports to practice as a group and prepare for the season, with competitions beginning May 4 in girls’ golf and May 8 in soccer.

Girls’ golf coach Lucas Johnson said his players have still been able to get individual practice in on their own — and added that the sport’s relationship with spring weather in Iowa has prepared his golfers better than other sports could.

“Looking at our girls’ team this year, it’s pretty much all returners,” Johnson said. “They know what practice looks like, they know what kind of drills they can be doing. At this stage of the game, it’s really just a matter of getting loose and getting those golf muscles back into shape.”

Johnson said he’s been in contact with his players about their practicing capabilities during this time away and has seen some of them at the golf course when he’s made visits. One of the toughest things is not being able to take advantage of the nice spring weather the state is having, Johnson said.

While golf might not feel as much of a sting, soccer could face more issues with conditioning and fatigue.

Johannes called the effect on condition that a May start would have “the great question” for his team. No matter the difficulties it might bring, though, Johannes is hopeful.

“This time of year, I should be hanging out with 100 [players] after school at practice,” Johannes said. “I miss it.”