Athletes try to stay in training as cancellations & postponements hit sports
Pro sports canceled. The Olympics pushed off until 2021. College basketball’s March Madness not being played. High school seasons suspended and may be nixed. Club and travel sports on hold. Even Little League is feeling the effects of the COVID-19 virus and the prescribed social distancing protocols.
In these unprecedented days, one of the victims of the new corona virus is sports, on all levels. When talking to Shelter Island coaches and athletes, the phrase most often used is “heart-breaking.”
Peter Miedema is the baseball coach at Shelter Island High School. The sport jumped to varsity status this year, with a legitimate shot at becoming the Class D champions. “Some kids started playing baseball in seventh grade and for the seniors it is their last shot,” Coach Miedema said.
He said the team had started some optional pre-season training and was having a great time together. They had one week of practice before the school building was closed and distance learning was implemented. Their first scrimmage was scheduled for the last week of March. Coach Miedema is hoping that if they get back into school the state will allow double-headers and weekend play to allow the season to progress.
It’s difficult for baseball players to train by themselves, he noted; you usually need a partner to play catch with or to run batting practice. Individual conditioning can be done, and he’s heartened that “kids are getting creative, sharing videos of weight lifting or workouts in their bedrooms and basements.”
Softball player Lauren Gurney says this unexpected time off has given her more time to practice pitching and do other workouts, but so much uncertainty is a bit daunting.
Coach Toby Green has taken over the reins of the spring track team for both girls and boys because Coach Bryan Gallagher, a New York State Forest Ranger, was called away on March 1 to help with COVID-19 response.
Coach Green knows that many kids are keeping “somewhat” in shape by continuing to run by themselves. However, he feels that without competition, it’s difficult to improve. Because of social distancing rules, kids are discouraged from running together.
Coach Green’s sons, Jason and Joshua, continue to train. Jason is on the Island’s track team and is in touch with his teammates through group chat so, while Coach Green hasn’t recommended any specific workouts, he’s sure Jason is sharing his own regimen with them.
Joshua, Shelter Island Class of 2018, has been running for SUNY Farmingdale, but is transferring to Northern Arizona University in the fall. His plans were to take the spring semester off to train hard for his Divison 1 debut. But races everywhere are being cancelled, not just at the high school and college level.
Joshua had planned to go to Boston for a few races, but that’s been scrapped. The Boston Marathon, originally scheduled for April 20, has been postponed until September 14, while many smaller races have been postponed or canceled outright.
Emma Gallagher is a senior who is another outstanding runner for Shelter Island. She said she’s running and working out at home, but it’s not the same as practicing with a team. “This is really out of our control, so I am trying to stay positive,” said Emma, echoing all the athletes who are enduring what the pandemic has done to their seasons.
Margaret Michalak, SI class of 2016, is a senior captain and player/coach for University at Albany’s women’s club volleyball team. She has been working out at home and is trying to stay in touch regularly and making sure that everyone has a friend in this scary time.
The Great Danes have attended the National Collegiate Volleyball Federation’s Championship each year, but the gathering of volleyball teams across the nation, originally scheduled for Kansas City, Mo. in April has been canceled. As the coach says, “We regularly have Zoom ‘practices’ where we all chat and catch up and try to stay up to date and involved in each other’s lives as we can. There are a lot of players on my team that are from the Capital Region so we plan on joining a beach or grass league (hopefully) if everything clears by the time the weather improves.”
There is universal agreement that this pandemic is altering life and sports in a myriad of ways. Michalak seems to speak for everyone as she admits that she is “pretty heartbroken… but in times of crisis, you learn to adjust and do what’s best for humanity as much as we can.”
