Amid the outbreak of COVID-19, commonly known as coronavirus, athletes and sports staff everywhere are being forced to postpone or even cancel their season. The NBA, MLS, MLB and NHL are among a few of the professional leagues that have been canceled in the U.S. during the pandemic. Additionally, grocery store shelves have been emptied due to panic shopping, bars and restaurants have been barred from serving dine-in customers, and schools nationwide are shutting down for a period of time. FHS is one of these schools, and the closing of the school for a month or possibly more could mean trouble for student-athletes and their sports.

The season had just begun for the boys lacrosse team. Head coach Chad Taylor said the team had been hitting milestone after milestone and was looking strong. Despite the season being postponed, Taylor believes the milestones set by the team have not been impacted at all.

“Our first milestone was to win the first game of the season. Done. Our second milestone was to beat Zionsville for the first time in program history. Done,” Taylor said. “We are very excited to get back together with the team and decide what milestone three will be.”

In regards to training and staying in shape for the season, Taylor believes it will be a real challenge. Nonetheless, he has sent the players on the team some material so they can maintain their physique.

“During the time off, I sent the team a circuit training regiment that can be done at home as well as some individual skill work that can be done while social distancing from others,” Taylor said.

Junior and girls rugby player Kynnedi Shepherd said one of the biggest issues with the delay in the season and the cancellation of school was that the new players on the team would have trouble learning new plays and game strategies. Since rugby is a club sport, there are many new girls each year who have little or no experience.

“The sudden shift in the schedule has not really allowed for us to get very far into the process of teaching which could potentially set us back if our season were to resume,” Shepherd said.

In order to train and stay in shape, Shepherd said she is holding herself accountable to do the best she can do in unsatisfactory conditions.

“During the time off, it has been difficult to get a proper workout in without the appropriate space,” Shepherd said. “I will be working out during normal practice times and completing simple workouts at home to maintain my endurance.”

Both Taylor and Shepherd believe that their respective teams will be able to have a strong season if it resumes.

“We have worked very hard to build a strong team culture of brotherhood,” Taylor said. “The brotherhood that comes back ready to work, ready to play, ready to fight and ready to keep winning.”