COVID-19 has caused many things to come to a halt, including in-person school, indoor restaurant seating, and Sequoia Union High School District sports. Right now, fall sports are postponed until December for Woodside High School (WHS) students.
Unlike most athletes, Giaan Duggal from Carlmont High School views the quarantine as a positive. She explained that the closure of sports has helped her injury heal properly. About four months ago, she tore her ACL and bruised her meniscus, and she is still in recovery from the harsh surgery.
“The timing is convenient with my ACL tear,” Duggal explained. “It has given me time to get the surgery and to recover without the pressure of having to return to the season.”
Duggal doesn’t know whether she can recover quickly enough to return to the season once it begins, but she knows that now is the time to take advantage of the situation.
“I’m worried I can’t even play in high school this year, but I know if I put effort to speed up my recovery the best I can, it’s a possibility,” Duggal said.
Many athletes said that lockdown helped them uncover how much their sport meant to them.
Miller Dayton, a soccer player at WHS, told the Paw Print that COVID-19 has refined his ambition towards the sport.
“It’s definitely tested my resolve and how much I really want to play,” Dayton said.
Dayton elucidated that being stuck at home is getting difficult, but soccer was something he uses to take his mind off of things.
“I mean, it’s definitely hard being at home all the time, but you’ve got to find ways to cope,” Dayton explained.
During practice, athletes have to wear a mask at all times, and, at water breaks, athlete take precautions such as giving out hand sanitizer.
“It’s not the same feeling anymore,” said Lily Fox, a volleyball player from Carlmont High School. “Everything is different.”
Fox said that she will have high school and club volleyball seasons at the same time this coming winter, meaning she may have either a club practice or high school each day, followed by a tournament on weekends. Fox explained that she’s not going to have much time for other things, but she’s ready for the commitment.
Fox hopes players will take more precautions, such as regular temperature checks, hand sanitizer, and awareness of what’s happening, and she’s looking forward to things gradually becoming normal.
“In a couple of months, I hope to see everything turning around,” Fox said.
