I was remarkably fortunate enough to experience an entire football season during my senior year of high school with summer workouts, practices, and Friday night games. However, this wasn’t the case for the majority of high school athletes across the nation devastated about an end to their season due to the Coronavirus.
Moreover, families are struggling financially to support and fund programs for their athletes to even participate in sports due to exceedingly high unemployment rates during the Pandemic. Ap News states “the most significant impacts will be felt in low-income communities” trying to provide opportunities for their child. This is especially devastating for those that were trying to proceed to the next level in college or even the professionals. To have this year ripped away from them and hindering their ability to showcase their talents in a particular sport becomes a struggle for them to acquire.
The impact, psychology, on teens during this pandemic with extracurricular activities is substantial towards social interactions and to build essential camaraderies with other students. According to the Sentinel COVID-19 Impact, athletes not being able to participate in their sport causes psychological effects to their ambition in school, confidence in who they are, and can become considerably stressful. However, as a Dickinson psychology professor mentions the importance of “resilience can be something an athlete leans on during the pandemic.” The idea of having resilience in the time we’re in is crucial to have and is a precious trait to have as we embark on our life journey after high school. In other words, stay safe by following safety protocols to expedite the process coming out of this pandemic and strive to remain resilient during these hectic times.
Dear Christopher,
I am intrigued by your post because, as a high school student athlete, I have experienced this first hand. These unprecedented times are something that no one ever thought possible. While extremely unfortunate, it has hopefully opened our societies eyes to the gratitude we must have for the things we are passionate about.
One thing you said that really stood out to me was that “resilience in the time we’re in is crucial to have and is a precious trait to have as we embark on our life journey after high school.” I truly believe that this is an essential trait for student athletes to learn, especially if they are planning to play a sport collegiately. Not everything in life will go perfectly as planned. In sports, athletes get injured or may not get their desired playing time, but the trait of resilience is necessary for achieving ultimate success.
Your post reminds me of my past softball season. While my high school season was cancelled, I was able to play almost the entirety of my summer season. Although I am extremely grateful that I had this opportunity, it burdened my plans to play collegiate softball because college coaches were not able to travel to attend our games.
Thank you for your project, and I look forward to seeing your future posts because we have similar insights on relatable topics.
I agree with you it is a difficult time to be an athlete. Last spring when lockdown occurred most of us thought we were going to return however, that wasn’t the case. The spring season was cut short for those who would typically play in the spring. Which was very difficult for them. Summarizing one of the comments I read it stated “We should cherish things we have because when they are gone, they are gone.”
I agree with this Christopher because of the pandemic that is going around it has become a lot hard on people who are struggling in a way where they are not able to give them an opportunity to be in a sport that they want.
I agree with you it is a hard time to be an athlete. I think its important to realize how much we miss things when they are gone and reflect that in gratitude when we have them. I hope we can have some spring sports this year because my spring season was cut short after only two games.
I totally agree with you and yes some of us are fortunate to have had a sports season this fall, like I was lucky to play at least two games of my season before I got hurt. Some athletes are indeed struggling and don’t know how to coup with the pandemic and yes this is where resilience is truly key so that we realize that even though we are not in the best of times the best is yet to come, I also think that playing a little bit with your siblings or with close cousins in small groups can help lift the mood.
I wonder why people had open boxing back up?
I wonder why Highschoolers can not do after school activities due to Covid 19