This year has been nothing short of unusual for many catawba students and athletes. With classes being online and hybrid and sports teams practicing COVID19 regulations and guidelines, we all want some sort of normalcy. Though they have to adhere to specific guidelines, Catawba’s athletes are still able to have games practices.

            Sports at catawba is like joining a family and creating bonds with your teammates. When you join a sports team, usually you do team bonding to get to know your teammates better and develop relationships within your team. But during a pandemic, having social distancing guidelines can makes that bonding experience a little more challenging compared to previous years. Amber Hand, a senior on the women’s soccer team said, “Our team isn’t as close as we used to be, but we are trying to make the best of it through texting and snap chatting instead.” Not all teams are the same. Women’s basketball has pods in which they split up into groups of five or six to practice instead of practicing as a full team. Marissa Bruce, a senior on the women’s basketball team said that after games teams are not allowed to shake hands or congratulate each other on the win. Instead they must exit the gym immediately going through separate exit doors.

Both of these players from different sports teams expressed how difficult COVID-19 has made their senior season. “Constantly having that tug of wanting to hang out with your team or with your friends but being scared to quarantine is always on your mind and it’s a real inhibitor,” said Hand. As players of different sports, both of these young adults realize the importance of obeying the guidelines that were put into place in order to keep them safe, their teammates safe, and to have as much play time as possible. Bruce said “It is nothing at all like what I envisioned senior year to be, but I am still grateful for the opportunity to play.”