Submitted Photo: Avery Jarosinski

Avery Jarosinski (right), lacrosse player and junior, poses for a picture with her teammates junior Anna Moore (left) and junior Ally Bailey (middle). Jarosinski said although the team is doing at- home workouts, they were not the same as normal practices afterschool before the COVID-19 break.

Ever since March 13, COVID-19 has affected every aspect of life at CHS, including athletics. According to Athletics Director Jim Inskeep, athletes won’t have any events, practice on school grounds or host any scrimmages until we return back to school. He said most coaches have given athletes individual workouts to do at home since they can not workout at school. 

Even before CHS shut down school, the swim team had seen a few cancellations, according to freshman swimmer Erin Cummins. She said that not only are there no meetings but the team is no longer allowed to practice anywhere.

Not only swimming, but also lacrosse has seen similar closings due to the virus. Junior lacrosse player Avery Jarosinski said her team has been trying to compensate for the lost time after school. She said, “We have been doing at-home workouts and trying to meet up for some practice, but it hasn’t been the same as after school practices.”

Cummins said that the lack of a championship and showing off skills the team worked during the year for was upsetting. Cummins said, “We trained the whole year for our championship meets and not being able to participate is quite heartbreaking for all the swimmers on the team.” 

Along with this, both Inskeep and Jarosinski said they feel bad for the current seniors who will not be able to complete their high school sport. Inskeep said, “I feel really bad for the seniors who will now go into college without being able to finish what they started four years prior.”

Despite these challenges of staying home, Cummins and Jarosinski said they are hopeful to return to school so that they can continue practicing their respective sport. They both said they are looking forward to meeting with their whole team and practicing as a group instead of individual workouts. 

While Cummins and Jarosinski both want to return to school, Inskeep said “I think the steps being taken for social distancing is the best measure right now. Whether or not we return to school would be too early to speculate.” He also said he wants CHS sports to immediately continue practicing as a team if we return to school. 

Aside from athletics, Cummins and Jarosinski have similar views on the virus itself and where it may go. Jarosinski said, “I took the virus as a joke at first, but then it started to get really bad and everything happened so fast. I hope it blows over by the time summer starts.”

Cummins said she finds some people are overreacting to the virus and said she thinks we will return to school on the scheduled date. 

COVID-19 has not only created challenges and sorrows for many athletes including Cummins and Jarosinski, it has also made them grateful for their experiences and opportunities on the team. Cummins said, “I would say this obstacle has taught all of the swimmers how lucky we are to have a pool to practice in every day and have amazing coaches that allow us these opportunities.”

Inskeep said he feels the same way as the athletes. He said, “None of us thought we would be in this scenario a few weeks ago. It makes you appreciate the memories and experiences that sports provide in our society on a daily basis.”