Sports in the Time of a Pandemic

By Avery hudkins

Imagine you’re preparing for your high school sports season and you are suddenly told the rest of your season is cancelled. Every opportunity a high school athlete is given in 2020 is not granted fully due to the widespread disease of Covid. 

Many football players, cross country runners, and volleyball players all had to self quarantine before Jenks went back to all virtual to avoid getting exposed making them unable to compete in their next event. Football players such as Joey Havir, a junior on the Jenks varsity football team, claims “All virtual has helped the team focus a lot on not only their grades but also with football.” 

Other schools such as Broken Arrow, Bixby, Owasso, and more have all as well made the switch to virtual learning for the next couple of weeks to help stop the exposure of COVID-19. Schools as massive as Broken Arrow have had to adapt majorly to this pandemic. “Not having to worry about spectators coming to our practices and workouts as well as not wondering if our season will be cancelled is something I miss greatly from our past seasons ,” Hannah Chance, a senior on the Broken Arrow soccer team, says. 

This year Bixby high school has dealt with multiple Corona outbreaks. The Bixby girls soccer team has tried to stay positive during this hard year for the upcoming season. “My high school team has tried to keep a positive attitude during all this craziness, however some players still anticipate that our season will get cancelled,” Giselle Urquiza, a senior on the Bixby soccer team, says. 

Another high stress factor for high school athletes this year is having a harder time finding a spot on a collegiate level team. Last season and this season due to corona affecting all sports seasons year round, many seniors were given the choice of one more year of eligibility even after their four years of eligibility are complete. Due to this, the college spots available for graduating high school athletes could be much more limited these next two years. 

All though there are many scary factors and possibilities for sports teams this year, many athletes try to obtain a positive and hopeful attitude for their upcoming sports seasons and events.