WOODBURY — It’s widely known that at Nonnewaug High School, the majority of students and staff are invested in the success of the school’s sports teams. 

So far, fall teams are kicking off the season with lots of wins, but the possibility of not having a bus to bring them to an away game could threaten that success.

Since the beginning of the season at NHS, getting buses for away games has not been an easy task. With a shortage of bus drivers and conflicting schedules with bus companies, complications have been surfacing time and time again.

Although this issue is being worked on now, the problem of sports transportation isn’t just recent, according to Nonnewaug athletic director Declan Curtin.

“It’s been an ongoing issue since the beginning of Covid,” Curtin said. “We were in a very good situation last year compared to the surrounding towns; however, that flip-flopped over the summer and we were in an unfavorable position. We were told that there might be some significant trouble getting bus drivers for some of our sporting events.”

Behind the scenes, many actions have been taken by the athletic department to prevent this problem from affecting the teams. This includes meeting with All-Star Transportation, the bus company that provides buses for the school.

“We were very proactive over the summer and met with All-Star Transportation to tell them in June and July that we didn’t want any issues come September,” said Curtin. “We haven’t had to cancel or change anything, but it’s required a lot of work to make that happen.”

Work like this has been a key factor in keeping the start of the season problem-free, but many athletes on the Nonnewaug sports teams still have their concerns.

“My first thoughts were about what might happen if we can’t get a bus for our next away game,” said sophomore girls soccer player Brooke Bernardi. “Not everybody can get a ride from parents, or even a ride from the seniors.”

Luckily, the girls team hasn’t had to deal with these concerns, but the boys team hasn’t been so fortunate.

“We got told last minute that we couldn’t go [on a bus to Northwestern on Sept. 27, and I was like, ‘Declan, where’s my gas money?” senior soccer player Brett Davino joked. “It was probably around a 50-minute drive there and back.”

Due to the constant work and problem-solving, the busing issue hasn’t caused any further damage, and it seems that it might be resolved before it does.

“I’ve been told it will be solved as of Nov. 1,” Curtin said. “Hopefully, our district buses will be able to be run by All-Star Transportation with no problems.”