As the coronavirus pandemic swept through the United States in March, professional, collegiate, high school and youth sports were canceled, devastating many athletes.  

This includes many at Cal High who officially saw their spring sports come to an end on April 3 when the California Interscholastic Federation made the final decision to cancel the remainder of the season.

Swim and dive, track and field, baseball, softball, men’s volleyball, men’s golf, men and women’s lacrosse, men’s tennis, and stunt teams all had their seasons cut short less than halfway through because of COVID-19. Cal athletes participated in their last competitions and practices the week of March 9 because the San Ramon Valley Unified School District closed all campuses and halted school activities starting March 16.

The decision to end the season early took a big toll on students.

“I feel it’s unfair that spring athletes got their sport canceled,” freshman track athlete Patrick Lee said. “But it’s OK because I would rather avoid and reduce the risk of one’s death.”

Although sports cancellations are helping keep people safe, students are still devastated that their seasons – for seniors the final one of their high school career – were cut short. Many students were looking forward to games or meets, and spending quality time with their teammates. 

“I was looking forward to creating a new team dynamic and seeing how far we could have gone in EBAL and NCS,” junior softball player Olivia Silvestre said. 

Although all high school athletes were negatively affected, seniors were hit the hardest because of many of the exciting events they had to look forward to as the season progressed. Unfortunately for most seniors, their final season being cancelled will be the lingering memory from this year.

“I am very sad to not have a senior track season with my teammates.” senior Mia Marsh said. “I was really looking forward to senior night.”

But seniors aren’t the only ones who were looking forward to this season. Like many freshmen, Lee had been anticipating this season for some time.

“As a freshman, this season was the first season for me in high school, and I was looking forward to it since middle school,” Lee said. 

Despite the cancellation of the season, many athletes aren’t losing hope and letting the virus stop them from training. With plenty of time that has been freed with the help of the stay-at-home order, student-athletes have found creative ways to stay active and continue to train for their sports. 

“I am still training just like I would be during track season,” Marsh said. “I run every morning by myself and do weights a couple of times a week after my runs.” 

But at times, it is harder for some athletes to find motivation without coaches and teammates keeping pushing them. 

“My motivation fluctuates. Some days are harder than others and I don’t feel like participating because I know that high school season is canceled,” Silvestre said. “But other days are full of positive energy because I know there are others out there who are like me just waiting for the season to pick up again.”

So many athletes are having to deal with the pandemic in their own way, and that helps them feel less frustrated and alone. Some clubs are still holding virtual practices to keep their teams connected. 

“We have virtual soccer practice three times a week and we have Google Classroom where my coach posts assignments that we must video ourselves completing,” junior Vanessa von Sosen said. 

Even with this challenging obstacle, so many students and teams aren’t letting the virus get in the way of their training and motivation. They are making the most of a difficult situation with their positive attitudes and hard work. 

“I can’t change the fact that my rugby season ended,” junior Diana Castaneda said, “but I can use this time off to train and come back to my next season stronger.”