With COVID-19 around us, there have been many activities canceled, including sports — an important activity for our athletes. Earlier this semester, sports were canceled for two weeks and could be canceled again if things get worse.

“I feel bummed out for not participating in any sports completely. I only went to one meet for cross country and that was all, so I miss it a lot,” Gabriela Paez, 12th, said.

Paez has been a Bowie athlete since she was a sophomore. “I play basketball, track, and cross country. Basketball-3 years in high school Track- 2 years (not including this year) Cross country-2 years,” Paez said.

Obviously, the sports cancellation was not the best news for the players, but it was necessary to stop thinking about themselves and what they are passionate about in order to think about what was best for everyone.

“I think this was the right decision because more kids would have gotten sick and the miss would have been bigger than how it is now,” Paez said.

While some students refused to play this year over fears of getting infected, others decided to do the opposite and play their favorite sports with the required preventive measures.

“I do think there was a possibility for cross country, but for basketball there was a higher chance of me getting infected since it is a contact sport compared to cross country,” Paez said.

The Coronavirus has had a big impact on the lives of student-athletes this year, since participating in their favorite sports is what motivates them to attend school and have good grades. Having sports in their life makes them come out of their shell, socialize more, and make new friends in sports.