All Bear River spring sporting events and practices have been postponed due to the COVID-19 health crisis until April 13, at which time the cancellations will be reevaluated for the future.
School means classes, tests, homework, and so on. But to many, especially at Bear River, it also means involvement in sports, often Bruins’ favorite part of their day and week, as well as something that allows them to meet and get to know some of their closest friends. However, spring sports this year, including baseball, swim, tennis, boys golf, boys volleyball, and softball, have an uncertain future ahead.
In an announcement over the loudspeaker on Friday March 13, Bear River Principal Chris Roberts issued the following statement.
“We know how hard each of you has worked and the amount of time you give up to participate in these programs, so that’s why this decision wasn’t easy, but your safety is our foremost concern,” he said.
Sophomore Harry Alexander talked about the impact of the pandemic on volleyball.
“It kinda screwed our whole season,” he said. “…We had tournaments every weekend this month, and now we don’t have any tournaments, and I dunno, everything’s just getting shut down. It sucks. I don’t get to play a sport that I love, and it’s frustrating.”
Freshman Lorali Thomas, a member of the softball team, shared similar thoughts.
“We’ve put all this work and effort into practicing, and it’s getting shut down,” said Thomas.
Sophomore Zach Clark-Ware talked about confusion surrounding the future of the baseball team this year.
“I was excited about this season, but now it’s just kind of boring because we don’t know if we’re actually going to have a season,” he said.
Other Bruins described their more mixed reactions to the news.
“I don’t really care that much, track isn’t my main sport,” said Junior Warren Davis. “… But it’s really fun to be in a sport. We had a practice meet last Wednesday, it was supposed to be against Forest Lake [High School] but they got shut down because of the coronavirus so we didn’t really have a meet.”
“It’s kind of bittersweet, because now I have more time, but I really like playing softball,” said Trinity D’Andrade, a sophomore.
While Bear River does offer a very large variety of sports, some Bruins participate in athletics outside of school. These programs are also being affected by COVID-19, including Senior Delilah Fulton’s final gymnastics season, which she recently found out is being cut short.
“Since my gymnastics season was cancelled last minute due to the virus, I no longer have my senior recognition at State,” she said. “I am personally feeling very discouraged and upset from this. It almost feels as if all my long hours of practice, three days a week, were put to waste. I no longer can end where I was wishing to, especially since it was my last year to ever compete.”
— Kirsten Briscoe and Jamey Slater contributed to this report.
