Boys Basketball According to COVID

By: Addison Doub

COVID-19 has affected high school sports on an enormous level and boys’ basketball at Pueblo County High School happens to be one of them. The athletes have certainly had a different year compared to the previous years. To get a sense of how things have changed due to COVID in sports, take a look at some of the athlete’s experiences. By interviewing three of the players on the PCHS boys’ basketball team, we can get a better understanding of how sports are affected by COVID-19 during this time.
Each individual was asked four questions:

1. How have you had to adjust to practice to meet COVID regulations?
2.  2. Do you have the same energy and adrenaline as last year?
3. 3. Did you have any other expectations for how your season was supposed to go if COVID didn’t happen? 4.
4. Has COVID affected your performance compared to last year?

 
Junior, Zachary Beltran, stated “Recently I’ve had to invest in sports masks just to make sure I’m able to breathe. The restrictions have made everything more difficult, catching your breath is harder, and water breaks are much harder when you can’t use the water fountains.” When referring to the last year Beltran stated, “I’ve spent this whole summer preparing for my basketball season, and as much as I try to have the same mindset as last year, its hard considering some of the things that I love most about the game has been taken away, having your friends and family as support makes a huge difference when it comes to my effort and competitive spirit.”
Senior, Trevor Thomas, stated, “The only other expectation is that there is a lot less teams that get to make the playoffs this year. We all know we have to bring it every night to be in that select few.”
Junior, Corbin Spear, stated “I think COVID has affected our performance compared to last year. With a lot of stuff being closed due to COVID-19, there wasn’t much to do other than go outside, or to the gym, and try to improve our game. Obviously, COVID-19 took away a lot from us, but we weren’t going to let that prevent us from improving personally, and as a team.”
The experience is certainly different this year due to ongoing pandemic, but the boys’ basketball team is staying optimistic and progressing with the best of their efforts!