Sports Shutdown
By GIANNA GALLAGHER ‘21
Every Spring, Milton athletes begin their season with captains’ practices, tryouts, and spring break trips. Despite this year's promise of a beautiful Spring, the sports season unfortunately went in a different direction. As Spring break approached and the spread of COVID-19 continued worldwide, these loved sports traditions were slowly getting cancelled. As any chance of playing this Spring was contingent on the school’s reopening, Milton athletes received the heartbreaking news of not being able to play at all this Spring when school was officially cancelled for the remainder of the school year on Thursday, April 16th.
The coronavirus pandemic took away all hope of a normal end to the school year; however, this news didn’t come as a shock for many. The impacts of the cancelation of this Spring’s sporting events reach all Spring athletes, coaches, fans, and especially our seniors. For senior athletes, this last season was supposed to be the special season to remember. However, this unfortunate outcome ended the careers of many senior athletes. Nobody ever expected that last Spring would have been the seniors’ last time playing Spring sports as a Mustang, so this cancellation left many of our Spring athletes both disheartened and empty handed. As Ramez Metri, a senior on Milton’s Track and Field team, simply put it, “this sucks.” For these dedicated athletes, it’s hard to not be playing with their friends in their final months as a high schooler, especially since many of these athletes train year-round for the spring season.
Despite the loss of the season, many coaches and teammates have not stopped working together to ensure our Seniors still have their special final moments as a Mustang. Many teams have found light through these tough times by connecting virtually. These virtual interactions help maintain the family that seniors have created throughout their years on the team. Milton’s Varsity Softball team, for example, holds weekly Zoom calls in order to allow the players and coaches to continue strengthening the bond they share. Along with these virtual interactions, Softball has continued with some of the annual traditions for the seniors. One such tradition is that Softball’s juniors made a sign to thank the seniors for their leadership and dedication to the team. Even though this sign will not be displayed at the annual Milton-Nobles Day game, this small act helped keep some of the softball traditions alive.
Jamie Fox of Sailing added that, “our team has been doing zoom calls as well as talking to college coaches. We have also been reviewing and teaching people more techniques during our time away from each other.” With the loss of the season, it has become clear that Milton’s sports teams have not shied away from continuing on with the Spring season, even if this season is unlike any other.
For many non senior athletes, this cancellation also came as a big disappointment. As Josie Vogel of Varsity Lacrosse put it, “I am trying to feel grateful that I am a Junior and I have another season!” Vogel continued by saying, “I had been looking forward to [this season] all year, but I am now looking forward to next season which I know will be a blast!” The small glimpses of hope are keeping our athletes motivated.
Although the loss of our Spring may disappoint some more than others, it comes as a heartbreak to the overall community. A tremendous amount of uncertainty still lingers about athletics in the upcoming months, even years. The question still remains: How will COVID-19 continue to impact Milton sports?