Panther Prints | Issue 4 | May 2020

@PESHPRINTS Sports • 15
Sports season comes
to quick end
by Fatima Malik
sports season came to an early end
Twhen activities involving contact with
people outside of their homes shut down.
Sports including tennis, softball and soccer
came to a halt, with last meets for athletes
occurring right before spring break.
“It’s really sad because most of the seniors
don’t get to live out their senior year
how they expected,” junior softball player
Lauren Trinh said. “It’s hard for us underclassmen
because we have really good
relationships with the seniors.”
Athletes were working toward
tournaments and competitions
before they were
officially canceled April 17.
The drill team had practiced
for their Spring Show for two
months before the season’s
abrupt end. The show was
to take place late April.
“It’s very sad to see
how much work you’ve put
into something and it just
all collapses,” senior and
Golden Girl Lauren Dunn
said. “We were working really
hard toward Spring
Show and finalizing all of
our dances.”
The records and rankings
that athletes set out to reach
are no longer attainable,
including UIL placement —
which helps colleges reach
out to athletes for scholarship
offers. Colleges can
also no longer scout for
or recruit underclassmen
during their games. The assistant
softball coach at the
University of Texas at Dallas,
where Trinh is hoping to be
recruited, had planned to attend
district games that are
now canceled.
“I’m kind of disappointed
about how the season
turned out, [being] that it’s
hard to get recruited [for]
2021,” Trinh said. “We had
really good competition this
year, and we were planning on going really
far in playoffs and possibly state.”
Being involved in a sports team meant
a steady routine with before-school or after-school
practice, but developing a new
routine was up to athletes as the season
came to an end.
“[Tennis] added a lot of structure to
my life,” senior Jaden Banze said. “Despite
waking up at 6 a.m. every single
day to get to morning practice — it
was grueling morning practice — it was
really important.”
Senior softball player Jordon Manworren
feels that losing these last few
months has affected many athletes on
the team mentally because the sport was
their way of relieving stress. To check
on everyone, the two seniors on the
team text the underclassmen through
their group chat.
“It’s hard not knowing when your last
game is going to be and it being yanked
out from under you,” Manworren said. “I
think next year [the underclassmen] are
going to realize the game could be taken
away from them at any point and I think
Photo courtesy of Bhavesh Bhatka
Senior Tyler Tamblyn runs as he competes in a hurdle event at the
district invitational meet Feb. 29.
that’ll build the amount of fight they have.”
During this time, athletes learned a new
lesson they had never considered before
their season was temporarily taken away.
Senior track runner Tyler Tamblyn hopes
incoming students, athletes or not, gain a
new consciousness from this time.
“If I were to tell [something to] incoming
students that aren’t seniors yet, I’d
probably say you can’t take any moment
for granted,” Tamblyn said. “You have to
make sure you enjoy and embrace every
moment that’s given to you because you
never know if it could be your last one.”
Silver lining
How to make most
of unprecedented
situation
by Ethan Johnson
Due to COVID-19, the NBA, MLB,
NHL and MLS are all on hiatus and
even UIL canceled all organized
games, meets and competitions.
Seniors had their final seasons
stripped from them and the world
is at a standstill. However, there is
a silver lining amidst all the uncertainty.
With their seasons shortened,
underclassmen have an extended
offseason to recover and
train for next year, and athletes
who have sustained an injury have
more time to heal and come back
even stronger.
Sports Illustrated detailed how
taking time off a sport after playing
for years can help avoid burnout
and make any athlete better at
what they do. Through both mental
and physical rest, athletes allow
their bodies and minds to heal.
The school year is long and challenging,
making the daily routine
of high school athletes even harder.
However, now these athletes
will have nothing but time to focus
on improving their game in any
way they can.
Taking a break is important for
an athlete’s mental health as well,
since the added difficulties of going
to school, a full practice schedule
and a social life take a lot of
mental effort to maintain. Training
Peaks suggests finding a hobby
to distract yourself and focus on
things that will strengthen your
weaknesses, such as running to
build endurance.
Unfortunately, senior spring
athletes have lost their final season,
but that doesn’t mean they
can’t still play or practice their
sport. There will always be memories
to look back on and on and
teammates that have grown into
lifelong friends. Senior athletes
who will continue their careers in
college now have the same opportunity
as underclassmen to become
better and improve their skills before
next season. These are difficult
and uncertain times, but while
stuck at home, we might as well
make the best of it.
Ethan Johnson is a sports reporter
for the Panther Prints.