Student Athletes Under Lockdown
By: Maxine DeLeon
Last March 2020, students left school assuming that in a few weeks time, they’ll be returning back to their classrooms—still clueless of how severe the Coronavirus will get. Now, rendered locked inside their homes to avoid being one of Covid-19’s victims, one of the groups that was strongly impacted by the abrupt lockdown are Olympian High School’s student athletes. Spring sports were cancelled during the previous school year while it is currently unsure when training and games can be held again. Knowing how critical constant activity is especially to athletes, how exactly are they coping with the pandemic?
“I can tell that this lockdown is really challenging especially for coaches and student athletes,” says Nicole Sumandal, a senior part of Olympian’s softball team. During the lockdown, she attempted to remain fit by exercising regularly and batting by herself in their garage. However, while they are good options for solo improvement, she acknowledges that they are not alternatives for actual training. “I really look forward to going back to the diamond field, simply doing my own workouts at home just isn’t the same as playing in a real field,” Nicole continues on a sad note. |
Amidst the various updates about the country’s situation with the virus and of course, the workload given throughout distance learning, each student athlete has their own individual way of coping. However, they can all agree on a collective, hopeful goal: start their season soon in the only place where they can freely be athletes—outside.
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