MANSFIELD, Texas — On a recent Friday night at Lake Ridge High School in this suburb south of Arlington, Alex Hawkins sat by himself in the upper reaches of a gymnasium that, in the vernacular of the day, allowed plenty of social distancing.
Although not everyone in the gym was wearing a mask, he was.
In an effort to stay safe, Hawkins, a 47-year-old trainer at Duncanville High School, whose Panthers were playing the Eagles of Lake Ridge, opted for isolation above more congested seating below. As Hawkins watched the boys’ basketball teams complete their warm-ups, he waxed philosophical on how to cope.
