Massachusetts High School Athletes Cope With Lost Seasons Due To Coronavirus
BOSTON (CBS) -- No games. No practices. No team gatherings. No sports.
The coronavirus pandemic has dealt a tough blow to high school athletes around the country. Spring sports were officially canceled in Massachusetts over the weekend.
Losing sports has given local athletes a new perspective on everything.
"You know I'll never take time with the boys for granted again after this because I'm really missing them right now," said Jake Lavoie, a junior on the baseball team at St. Sebastian's. "All I want to do is be out on the field with them now. Cold, sweating -- it doesn't matter. I just want to be out on the field."
"When I first heard it, I was very disappointed, especially for the fellow seniors," said Richie McNamara, a senior on Belmont Hill's baseball team. "There are five of us, but then I took a step back to realize the position we're in and there's a lot of people on the frontlines suffering. They're doing a lot for us to stop the virus."
"My mindset was to win a championship for my team since it was my final year," said senior Richmond Kwaateng, who runs track for Lowell High School. "So it was a bit depressing. I had to take time to myself to think what was happening, and come back to reality."
"When I heard the news, obviously I was disappointed because I was really looking forward to spring sports," said Isabel Zhou, a junior tennis player at Andover High School. "It's always been the best part of the year."
There are some silver linings. Some seniors will have the opportunity to play in college. Kwaateng is now heading south to UConn on a track scholarship.
"It's going to be amazing," said the future Husky. "I'm going to UConn so it's definitely a good school and the education is good."
Belmont Hill's baseball captains are are also heading to the next level; one will take the field at Bowdoin, and two at Trinity.
"It's been a dream of mine, so I've been waiting for this for a long time," said Ben Reyes. "So hopefully over the summer I can train, try to get stronger, and be ready for that next level. I'm definitely excited."
Another silver lining is the teammates still have each other, as well as the life lesson they will carry forever.
"Don't take anything in life for granted. You can see how fast it can go away," said St. Sebastian's junior Patrick Wade. "Overnight, it felt like our season was done. So don't take anything for granted."
"I'm not playing tennis in college, but the one truly reassuring thing is I will always have these people for the rest of my life," said Nina McKone, a senior tennis player at Andover High. "These are my friends."
