Athletes Push Forward

 By Kaitlyn Schwarz, ’24 

This year, unlike any other, was crazy. I moved, I transferred schools, and I'm still currently living through a global pandemic. 

In March of 2020, we were all quarantined and stuck in our houses for months on end. It felt lonely, like we had nowhere else to go, until we came back to school in August, more like normal. We came to school, learned our lessons, and always wore our masks. That was definitely the weirdest part about this year, not seeing everyone’s faces like I had been used to seeing. 

Then, it was time to start competing in  fall sports. Fall sports seemed to go very smoothly, practices were as scheduled, and lucky enough for me, there were little to no changes in volleyball because there was no mask requirement while playing. 

Although playing sports again was awkward, it was good to be back playing.. Then, winter sports rolled around and the COVID cases began to rise. We had a few complications that should be recognized, like the fact that we had to wear our masks all the time while participating in basketball activities: to practice, during games, on the bus, and in the locker rooms. 

We had one COVID case on the J.V. team and that forced all the J.V. players to quarantine for an entire week, losing lots of practice before their upcoming games. 

All players wore masks during games and practices.

And the last complication that set us back was when the state postponed all winter sports due to rising cases; we weren’t allowed in the gym, couldn’t practice as a team, and were unable to prepare for the upcoming season. But basketball season is over and one can only hope it will be very different next year. 

Other athletes in various sports agreed that the COVID regulations posed difficulties in season.

According to freshman cross-country runner,  Ava Speakman, “It was difficult to get a normal season. We couldn’t get the normal bonding experience, and that was something I really missed.”

"One thing that I also missed was the cross country camp that we get to all go to together. During the season at meets, we usually get to go up to other teams and talk to them, but this year was just different, and  the hardest part was just the social aspect of everything,” added Speakman. 

If anything, this year has really been an eye opener for a lot of people.

“Interesting, eye opening, and functional,” were Speakman’s three best words to describe this year. 

This year has been a large adjustment for everyone. All students were forced into circumstances we would’ve never considered; we were being pushed outside of our comfort zone. 

But as Speakman explained, “it’s all about finding the right balance.”