Waiting and hoping

Senior student-athletes staying busy

By Jason Arndt
Editor

Union Grove senior student-athletes can only hope there is a spring sports season as the state and nation combats a COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic caused schools to close indefinitely and led to the postponement of the season.

In the meantime, some student-athletes are keeping busy with virtual learning, taking up hobbies, as well as working on conditioning by themselves.

Megan Baker, a senior softball player, said staying at home pales in comparison to her normal routine.

“I am used to running around constantly, so staying at home has been a huge change for me. I have been watching a lot of Netflix, Disney Plus and Hulu,” she said. “I have also passed the time making some cut-out cookies.”

Baker initially planned on working out at her club softball complex before it closed because of COVID-19.

The workouts, she said, were critical to her recovery from an injury she experienced last November.

“It eventually got to the point where I could not lift my head, so I went to get it looked at at Athletico in January. It turns out I had nerve damage, so I did about six weeks of physical therapy and now I am working on getting back to 100%.

“It was really disappointing to hear that softball was postponed because I had put so much work into recovering from the nerve damage.”

Girls soccer team captain Kayla Maurer acknowledged waiting has been difficult, saying there is a lot of uncertainty, but she continues to work out and hope.

“It has been difficult to know exactly what the season entails, but coach (Sean) Jung has encouraged us to do anything we can preserve our skills,” Maurer said. “That being said, I have been running in attempt to keep my stamina.”

TJ Manteufel, a baseball player, admits having facilities shutdown to stem the spread of COVID-19 limits his opportunities to bolster his skills.

But, he has found ways to fill his idle time, working out at home, playing video games with friends and fishing at a pond in his backyard.

“At home, I’m able to still workout a little bit and work on my defense by throwing baseball against a wall,” he said. “Luckily, there are plenty of baseball fields around, so going and hitting on one by myself or with dad is also a big help.”

Track and field athletes Riley Calouette and Kevin Hall each have the benefit of simply running to maintain conditioning.

Calouette, who calls the world her gym, chooses to stay in the moment and maintaining a routine.

“I motivate myself by convincing myself that the track season isn’t canceled yet, despite the extension of virtual schooling,” she said. “Another great aspect of being a runner is the lack of equipment necessary. Weight training is oftentimes just a supplement to the running.”

Meanwhile, Calouette fills her time making creative meals, something she could not do while at school.

“To pass the time I will give myself longer breaks for meals, and I find myself making much more creative and healthy meals,” Calouette said. “I just have a passion for cooking and all the extra free time allows me to express that.”

Hall, like Calouette, has not slowed down his routine and continues to run around his neighborhood.

“I have been able to get some serious CrossFit workouts in and continue to mountain bike,” Hall added.

Virtual adjustment
As for virtual learning, some have adjusted well, while others are still navigating the new way of instruction.

However, all five agree the hardest adjustment is not seeing their classmates everyday.

“I am very impressed with how our teachers have been handling the situation, and how gracious they have been with us,” Maurer said. “Virtual learning always comes with its challenges, but I think the hardest part is not seeing my classmates. I don’t think any one of my classmates were expecting our senior year to pan out like this.”

Manteufel agreed with Maurer, adding teachers have made instruction simple and effective.

“The teachers and staff at Union Grove have done a very good job of preparing us for this, and have made it very simple and easy for us to do,” he said. “It’s very different than your average school day, but it is still very thorough and educational.”

Calouette, meanwhile, said the transition to virtual learning has been difficult because there isn’t face-to-face interaction.

She also said working from home is harder since she has three siblings and disruption of her normal routine at Union Grove.

Baker admits virtual learning has been an adjustment, including some internet service issues, but indicates online instruction has gone smoothly.

“It has been going smoothly so far other than problems with the Wi-Fi. Living out in the country, we do not have great service, so we basically ‘take turns’ with who can be using Wi-Fi when it gets slow,” Baker said.

Baker, meanwhile, spends most of her time helping her younger brother with elementary math and reading subjects.

“At his age, he needs someone to teach him subjects like math of reading, so it is basically one-on-one with him for most of the day,” Baker said.

Dealing with uncertainty
Manteufel said he and other classmates are coping with uncertainty in different ways.

For him, he is simply finding activities to keep his mind occupied.

“I feel as if the best way to get through it is by just doing your part, and finding things to keep your mind off it,” he said. “If you can find things you enjoy to distract you from the whole situation, it can really help you forget how tough this all can be.”

Hall, meanwhile, finds peace as Christian and reads the Bible.

Additionally, he interacts with his youth group online, where members share their experiences.

“It’s been cool to see how God is working in this time and how he has supported me,” he said. “I have no worries about missing senior year track, prom, graduation, any of it, because I am living for something more,” Hall said.

For Baker, potentially missing graduation and other traditional senior activities is a difficult to comprehend.

“It is not easy to cope with the thought of not being able to attend (these events), however, that is reality and we have to deal with it,” she said. “If canceling these events save lives and slow the spread, then it would be worth it.”