The spring sports season is just around the corner as most winter sports come to an end. The fall and winter seasons have been seemingly successful, with minimal cases among coaches and student athletes, allowing every sport to have a complete season up to this point. 

The consensus is that spring athletes are ecstatic for the opportunity to compete after their seasons being cancelled last year. 

Despite her obvious excitement for the upcoming season, senior captain for the girl’s tennis team, Catherine Grissom addresses that “there is a lot of unknown currently because the season is about two months away,” but remains faithful her season will occur because “tennis is mostly socially distant anyways.” 

Grissom also acknowledged that one of the tennis team’s strengths during this unprecedented time has been their team chemistry, calling the team “a very close knit family.” However, for obvious reasons, due to COVID-19, their time together has been limited. Nonetheless, Grissom and her co-captain, Lily Taylor, have been doing all they can to schedule COVID-safe activities for the team.

With this in mind, the women’s tennis team is united in competing hard and having fun this season, no matter the circumstances. “Nothing is for certain on how much we will get to play, but I want to make the most of the time we do have and enjoy my last season as a panther,” Grissom said. 

Softball player Tatum Sickles is taking a very similar mentality into her upcoming season. She understands the unknown that comes with this unprecedented time. This year, Sickles wants to “have a better record than we did my freshman season and become closer with all my teammates.”

Sickles is also excited for a new leadership role on the team. She hopes to be an impact player this year since she has not played school softball since her freshman year due to COVID. She has been working hard in the off-season, playing travel ball and honing new skills. 

For many seniors, the upcoming spring sports season is one of their last opportunities for recruiting. Ensuring the spring season happens is essential to the athletic future of many athletes, especially after losing it last year. Thus, continuing to be diligent about all community health guidelines is crucial during this time, in order to fuel these athletes towards the most successful seasons possible.