On April 17, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker called a press conference to announce that all schools statewide would remain closed for the remainder of the academic year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the best interest of students in mind, Pritzker’s announcement came as a surprise to no one in light of Illinois confirming over 30,000 cases of the virus and nearly 1,300 deaths. 

While the stay-at-home order threatens to remain into the summer, seniors still have hope that school events such as prom and graduation will take place at a later date. However, there is one thing that seniors already have lost out on: a final spring athletics season for them to suit up and bleed green. 

“Initially, I thought this wouldn’t be too bad; it would blow over eventually, and we’d be able to figure some things out, [and] maybe [we’d] still be able to practice even though it’s against the rules,” boys lacrosse player and senior Harrison Proud said. “That all got shot down really quickly, and now I’m just in a stage of disbelief.”  

The extension of the stay-at-home order through the rest of the school means that Duke athletes will reluctantly hang up their uniform without taking the field during their senior season. 

“Right when I found out that spring sports were canceled, I was really upset, along with every other senior,” boys water polo player and senior Liam Enright said. “I was especially upset about losing the water polo season because this was the year we were going to make a run [for state]. Our coaches were really excited because we’ve been building this team for several years.”

Leaders on spring athletic programs have taken it into their own hands to keep their teammates involved. 

“During this time, our coaches have been communicating with us through Google Classroom, but the contact has been limited,” girls track team captain and senior Bella Walker said. “As teammates, we’ve been very active on the Google Classroom, and [we’re] posting things we’ve been doing or other words and phrases to keep each other motivated which has been really helpful”

Where many athletes have relationships outside of the sport that make it easy to keep in touch during a time like this, coaches really rely on that time in school to connect with their athletes. However, some coaches have found new ways to stay in contact with their teams. 

“Coach Wallace and Coach Stern have been doing a great job of communicating with us on a daily basis, and the seniors have been giving out daily challenges,” girls lacrosse player and senior Cate Duhig said. “We’re still all communicating as a team through our group chats, and [we] have been giving updates to each other in order to keep in touch.” 

While being stuck at home all day and night makes it harder to stay connected, focusing on oneself and one’s family has helped some athletes cope during a time like this. 

“I know that this time has been difficult for everyone, and it’s upsetting, especially for seniors, that the second half of our school year got canceled,” Duhig said. “We just have to look towards the future and what comes next, try to improve ourselves during this time, [and take] time to hang out with our families and stay connected with our friends on a different level.”

Losing your season to something unforeseeable can be very frustrating, but through these unprecedented times, some seniors have found ways to stay positive and look at things with a “glass-half-full” attitude. 

“Obviously as a senior, this is very disappointing because this is the season you work at for four years to try to be at the top of your game, be at the top of your class,” boy’s track runner and senior Daniel Klysh said. “I think the thing that’s kept me going is being thankful for what I was able to accomplish with my teammates and all the memories I’ve been able to make and look back upon. It’s a shame to think I won’t be able to make more, but I have to be thankful for what I have, and the lessons [I’ve learned] and the friendships I’ve made will never be forgotten.” 

Those who have accepted the news and have been able to focus on the positives in their lives are experiencing different emotions than those who might have a harder time with the idea they can’t play their senior season. One way to do so includes staying in touch with your teammates and try to be as positive as possible. 

Keeping a positive attitude and a good mindset throughout this is a great way to stay mentally healthy as this can be difficult to process.

“For the athletes taking this harder than me, I’d say keep your chin up and stay connected with the rest of your teammates and do the workouts that correlate with your sport,” Enright said. “Just keep a good attitude through all this because there is a light at the end of the tunnel, even though we might not see it yet, there is one.”

The stay-at-home order has also minimized students’ abilities to get out and work on their game, but athletes at York have found different ways to stay active based on the sport they play. 

“I’ve been trying to get out as much as possible, and [I] have been very fortunate to have my teammate, Lance McCann, as my neighbor,” Proud said. “We’ve been going out and passing, shooting, and having a good time to knock off the rust and stay fresh.”

However, some sports aren’t as easy for athletes to pick up and practice. 

“Since there aren’t any pools open, I haven’t been able to work on my swimming,” Enright said. “My brothers and I have been throwing around the water polo ball; I’ve been going on a lot of runs [and] doing a lot of push-ups and sit-ups to try to stay in shape.”

With this being the last year senior athletes can compete at the high school level, the future holds different things for different athletes. Some will have to call it quits here, while others have found a way to continue playing in the future.

“My next four years are going to look different than my teammates as I’ll be spending them playing lacrosse at Arizona State University,” Duhig said. “That’s my next focus, so right now I’m trying to focus on my own game and improving myself to be the best individual player I can be, so next year I can match my competition.”

Being able to play at the Division One level is impressive, thus, not every athlete has the ability to do so.

“Next year, regardless of where I end up going for college, I want to try to play club lacrosse,” Proud said. “I always have that to look forward to, but I’m still bummed out I can’t play my senior season.” 

Regardless of your position right now, there is more to life than sports. It’s important to stay focused on other aspects of life while being stuck inside and know that, one-day, things will go back to the way they were. Eventually, the world will return to normal, and we will be able to go out and play sports that fill our lives with joy.

“Things could be a lot worse; I know right now in high school, sports seem like a major priority, but we all have to do our part in this situation during this pandemic to take care of each other,” Klysh said. “Seeing the impact of what this has become, we all have to look out for each other, and that’s the most important thing right now. Sports will come back, and we’ll all get our time to shine.”