As we all know, last spring, all athletes had their seasons ripped away due to the global pandemic. I was one of those athletes, along with the entire varsity girls lacrosse team, which felt as though all of our hard work in preseason had gone to waste. I remember the week of tryouts clearly, the plan for 5 days of 3 hour tryouts, only we never got a day 5, and school closed for that Friday, and every other until this September. We longed for the sound of the ball slapping sticks, and scraping grass across the field.

Though we were all very sad to not have a season, our head coach, Coach Pollicino, was there to encourage us everyday, and continues to everyday, preparing and exciting us for our upcoming season. Losing the season hit him just as hard as it hit us, but that never stopped him from being a leader.

Coach Pollicino is dedicated to this team, and though we were all having a tough time coming to terms with having no season, he reminded everyone that our hard work wouldn’t be a waste, and he provided us with inspirational quotes, or videos everyday. The daily messages that Coach gave us were inspirational to many. To me, these messages uplifted me everyday, and encouraged me to stay in shape, and keep a positive attitude, which helped to lift my mental health. These messages also helped me as a person, and encouraged me that this was a major part in my life now, but I will be, and have been able to work through it and be ready for the future.

One of my teammates, Bryn Fecko, made this statement regarding Coach’s impact. “As everyone knows, quarantine was a difficult time, as most of us missed out on our normal, routine lives. However, unlike most people I was fortunate enough to wake up every morning to inspirational quotes and videos from my coach. Each one of my days started with a smile despite the difficult situation. Instead of worrying about the present, he inspired me to work harder for the future”.

Towards the end of what would have been our season last spring, we received this message from Coach Pollicino, “Dr. Suess- Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory”. Coach backed this up by saying “That is so true. These have been trying and difficult times; however the resolve you have displayed has left a huge impact on me. When this season concludes next week it will hit me very hard…My heart swells with pride. Enjoy your weekend. Be great today. Coach Pollicino”. 

Instantly, this message, along with many other impactful ones, guided me through not having a typical season. Even without playing on a field together Coach Pollicino still made sure our entire team was connected through zooms, fitness challenges, videos, and eventually in late summer early fall, getting back into playing under new means. This drove me to be determined to have the best comeback ever this coming spring.

Not only did these messages bring inspiration, but also made my teammates so excited for this season. Shaker Varsity Girls Lacrosse is striving for a long awaited comeback season, whether that be with or without sectionals. We have been pushed and given the means to have the strongest drive of any team I’ve ever been on. This coming season brings a lot of excitement and I, as well as my teammates, have been playing Sundays and Wednesdays in preparation for it. 

We hope that we will be able to play like the Fall athletes are now, with masks, and other safety measures in place. Though we wish we could have fans to watch the long, flowing ponytails bouncing as members of our team run down the field. This year, speaking on behalf of my team, every moment will be cherished, and celebrated, because you never know if a piece of your life may be uprooted.