As we all know, last year was one of the most unpredictable and chaotic years that the current generations have ever experienced during their lives. As hard as it was on adults, the pandemic has had an even greater impact on high school students, especially juniors and seniors. Many of these students play a spring sport and were depending on their 2020 spring season to get them into college. Today, we are going to look at what students last year had to go through and how their plans for college were impacted by the unthinkable events that took place last year.  

No Sports for Pentucket

Like most schools in the United States, Pentucket was sent into full remote mode for the remainder of the year during the spring of 2020, where students were unable to participate in any form of recreational activities that involved the school.

Dan Thornton, the Pentucket Athletic Director, spoke on behalf of everyone when he said, “Losing an entire sports season was extremely difficult for everyone involved… students, coaches, parents, and fans. It’s an opportunity that you can never get back.” With that said, sports for many students are more than just a game: they are what get student-athletes through the school year. Playing sports in the fall, winter, and spring always give these students something to look forward to. 

Student-athletes at Pentucket were extremely downhearted when the decision to cancel spring sports was officially announced. Jordan Cane, a senior captain for Pentucket’s baseball team in 2020, said, “It was definitely difficult not having our senior season, knowing what our team was capable of. We had an opportunity to win a ring and it just sucks that we did not get the opportunity to showcase it.”  

Being unable to display their talent, many juniors did not get the exposure or the attention they were hoping for from college coaches in order to pursue their dreams of playing college sports. “Losing an entire sports season was extremely difficult for everyone involved,” said Mr. Thornton. Not only did the pandemic take away many memories that were unable to be made for the people involved, but it also took away a chance for juniors to collect film from their season and possibly get noticed by a college coach.  

While efforts were made to try to make these hardships up for students, nothing could be done to try and have recreational sports, and students all over the world felt helpless while they watched their precious sports seasons and school year vanish right before them.  The unfortunate consequences of the pandemic have been ultimately inevitable, and therefore leave a trail of hurt for everyone who had involvement with the effects of the virus.