Eleventh grade distance runner Brooklyn Rochow had to quarantine because her brother tested positive for COVID-19.  Although it was affecting everyone, student athletes were being affected much worse.

Serious about being a student athlete, they know what their future holds.

Rochow looked forward to running track and seeing her friends when she came out of quarantine. She stayed active while in quarantine—running has been her best friend during this difficult time.  

“I am looking forward to seeing my friends again and being able to run track,” Rochow said.

Typically, junior and senior years bring on the college search and a college scout who watches a player and considers making offers to play under scholarship. That process requires watching the player in action, yet there has been little game play for most athletes during the pandemic.

Some seniors this year did not have the opportunity to play their best because of the worldwide pandemic. Some students did not get to commit to their dream college this year. 

The look down on life is now different for everyone. “Even the changes of mental health have changed for some students”, WellFleetStudent said.

The first high school sport to start back up post-pandemic was basketball. 

As this trial period brought confusion to some, others, like the basketball players themselves, were happy. 

It was simple: athletes were to  keep their  masks up and play normally. Many around the sport thought this was going to be easy, others disagreed. 

COVID-19 cases were rising incredibly fast. 

“We want to provide testing as we know it helps prevent the spread of the COVID-19 and provides an opportunity for our student athletes to participate,” principal Jeff Trapp said.

 The number one carrier for COVID-19 cases in the state of Michigan were high school student athletes according to Fox 2 News…

One task the Stockbridge covid testers did not enjoy was quarantining their students. 

“We are wanting to give our student athletes every opportunity to participate,” Trapp said.

COVID-19 cases were rising by thousands, so Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer’s team advised that every student athlete gets tested one day each week. 

As this may come as shocking for some families, many disagreed with the idea. They did not see the point in testing healthy teenagers.  

“I personally feel if we need to get tested twice a week, we shouldn’t have to wear a mask,” varsity soccer player Shailynn Walker said.

Nearly 340 high school student athletes have already tested positive for COVID-19 according to Fox 2 News. When an athlete tests positive, that sport gets put on hold, and all students that have come in contact with the positive case must be quarantined for two weeks.