COVID-19 has been a struggle for every sports team this year, but it has been extremely difficult for the winter sports teams. With so many spontaneous shutdowns of the Shaler Area School District, it has been hard to find time to practice and get in all of the necessary games for the season. Girls basketball, boys basketball, wrestling, swimming, and the girls bowling team have been persevering through these struggles to make their season the best it can be.

“COVID has definitely limited us in how we performed this year, but the high school shutdown is what really affected us more,” varsity swim coach Ms. Abi May said.

Swimming is a non-contact sport, so the team was prepared to follow CDC guidelines at all of their meets this season. But, the shutdowns of the school penalized the team, who was following all the precautions to ensure they were able to have a season.

The other winter sports coaches can agree that the school shutdowns have heavily impacted the performance of their athletes.

“Any time you miss weeks of your season, that means you aren’t in there grinding each day as a team to get better,” boys basketball coach Coach Mr. Rob Niederberger said.

Practicing is a crucial part of having a successful team. It not only improves your skills, but it also improves the dynamic of the team. Little aspects such as this were missed out on due to limited practices and games this season.

“From a coach’s perspective, we lose the control of getting players in the gym and to implement the offensive and defensive philosophies,”  girls basketball coach Mr. Cornelius Nesbit said.

Not only was it difficult to get practice in due to the school closing, but it was also hard to keep up with the always-changing schedule.

“The constant changes in schedules required us all to be flexible and to focus on what we could control. It was difficult to find consistency from a conditioning and technique standpoint,” wrestling coach Mr. Ethan Swope said.

Through all of the sporadic changes of games and practices, all of the teams have been trying to stay positive and be happy with the fact they are even having a season this year.

“The one thing I’ve said through all of this is that the adversity we have gone through will only make us stronger,” Nesbit said.

On a more positive note, the swim team and both boys and girls basketball team were able to have a senior night this year to celebrate their upcoming graduates. This event helped make the season seem a little more normal, and lifted the spirits of the coaches, players, and their families.