Promising guard Alli Carlson ‘22 had many emotions coursing through her mind and heart since being told her season would be postponed due to COVID-19.

“Obviously I was upset that our season got pushed back just a week into practice but the most important thing is everyone’s health, so I understood,” Carlson said. 

Both some fall and all winter sports teams have been told their season would be put on hold until further notice due to orders by Gov. Whitmer. Athletes are taking these orders very seriously while still finding ways to stay on top of the game, from at-home workouts to daily zoom calls.

“We are preparing as if we are coming back on Dec. 9  and preparing for our game on Dec. 16. We are staying in shape and doing zoom calls daily to stay on top of our opponent,” said Nate Milanowski ‘21.

The teams have been trying to keep their team spirit alive by staying in touch these past few weeks. 

“We have been doing two zoom call meetings a week to go over all our plays and to just stay connected with this mentally difficult situation,” Carlson said. 

Not only have student-athletes been hit with a hard pill to swallow, but coaches have a difficult job attempting to keep their players in shape and engaged. 

“Our coaches have been a real help throughout the shutdown. They send us daily workouts to keep us ready and are always checking in on us to see how we are doing with everything. Also, they created playbooks for us so we have everything we need to be ready for the season,” said basketball guard Macy Brown ‘23. 

With the unexpected twists and turns we’ve seen with school and our sports, the rest of the season is very unpredictable but the students try to keep an optimistic attitude towards the future.

“This late start has stopped our dry land conditioning. As long as everyone makes sure to train and prepare on their own, I think that our team will be able to perform with great results,” said skier Natalie Koster ‘21. 

This end to the 2020 year and start to the winter season is leaving athletes confused and anxious, but teams are pushing through the pandemic lockdown by attempting to grasp a positive mindset.