For the Love of the Game
By Staff Writer
Adriana Rodriguez
It has been a long year for Olympian athletes who stopped playing sports due to COVID-19. Spring 2020, athletes put a pause to sports practice, games, gatherings, and more. Most importantly, they stopped feeling like a team since they were not able to see their members. As everyone is adapting to the new normal, The Torch asked Olympian athletes to share about how they felt when the sports season final began after not playing for so long.
With all sports on the field this spring, Olympians experienced a super season of weekly games. Breanna Lopez, a senior softball player says “ It felt amazing to be playing games and being able to be in contact with my teammates”. Breanna says there were challenges playing during Covid. She and her teammate did everything in their power to play while being extremely safe.
Moving over to Thompson Gym, basketball player, Vika Puloka says she felt grateful once she heard the news of the return of sports. She said, “I felt so excited and happy especially being able to play in games.’’ She also said “Now with everything that has happened, I am no longer taking it for granted. "
Senior football player, Dane Staten was elated to be back into a uniform again. “I felt pretty good getting back on the field, playing with my friends, and reconnecting with people outside of my household.” Staten was lucky enough to get to also play varsity basketball, providing a unique opportunity to play back-to-back sports that are normally on the opposite side of the calendar. Like most student-athletes, he faced the same challenges of playing during a pandemic, and just as the others, he learned to adjust in tough times.
Senior Varsity basketball player, Dane Staten was elated to be back into a uniform again. Photo by provided by Dane Staten
The Olympian Varsity softball honored their seniors at a recent home game.
MCA Photo by Jesus Ruiz