The Beginning of the End of Spring Sports

Mayor Bill de Blasio set a precedent by cancelling all “non-essential or non-instructional activities,” including Public School Athletic League (PSAL) teams on Thursday, March 12. For a school that prides itself on 16 spring PSAL sports teams, three non-PSAL sports teams, and nearly 1,600 athletes, this news definitely hit close to home.

Due to the unfortunate timing of the coronavirus pandemic, seniors were robbed of the opportunity to end their high school athletic careers on their own terms. “I was really looking forward to this season, and everyone (especially the seniors) worked so hard to get here, so it’s definitely a disappointment,” senior and girls’ lacrosse captain Emory Walsh said in an e-mail interview.

Seniors who have been members of their respective sports teams for several years feel as though activities that have played an integral part of their daily lives are now being taken away from them, chipping away the little moments of their everyday lives that ultimately will end up characterizing their high school experiences. “As a senior, I feel like we lost something we look forward to after school. It’s heartbreaking. We never expected our last season to end before it even started,” senior and boys’ track and field co-captain Wentao Lin said in an e-mail interview. Seniors who were designated as captains of their teams missed out on the chance to lead their fellow players, a pill that will surely be tough to swallow.

Furthermore, many teams started pre-season training several months before the spring season was proclaimed to start in early March. This makes matters increasingly frustrating as many teams set ambitious goals for the season, yet never had the chance to showcase their talent and assert their dominance within their respective leagues. “This season looked extremely promising for us, as we were going to have our most talented team in years this season. We were hoping to make a deep run in the playoffs after making the quarter-finals last year,” senior and boys’ tennis captain Sujay Sharma said in an e-mail interview.

Players on non-PSAL teams have been deeply impacted by the cancelling of spring sports as well. “We were excited to take care of some unfinished business from last year. We didn't win the city or state championship last year, and we were extremely excited and confident that we could make a strong push for the titles this year,” senior and boys’ ultimate frisbee member Bernard Wang said in an e-mail interview. Unfortunately, these teams will not be given the chance at the moment to improve upon their standings from previous seasons and will have to patiently wait until next year to begin their journeys to the championships.

The suspension of PSAL teams has also cost many underclassmen the chance to begin their development into finer athletes, which is very damaging to overall team dynamics since depth and versatility play such pivotal roles in molding successful teams. “Many of our athletes are just beginning to make significant progress, but now their growth will have to be stunted due to the lack of practices. Not to mention the new additions to the team who will have to experience their initiations weeks late,” senior and boys’ track and field co-captain James Chun said. Not only does this take away from the amount of training younger team members get, but players are also not given as much time to their teammates’ different styles and build team chemistry.

In spite of the collective disappointment shared by the majority of PSAL student athletes, many approve of de Blasio’s decision to indefinitely suspend the PSAL since it prevents mass congregations of athletes during meets and practices. “As saddening as it is, PSAL made the right decision in cancelling all activities,” Chun said. “It only reduces the chances of children being exposed to the disease and becoming potential carriers.”

De Blasio’s decision to suspend the PSAL, however, does not align with his decision to keep schools open, sparking a lot of controversy and frustration among the Stuyvesant community. “Canceling PSAL sports does not reduce the transmission of the virus, but only takes away the opportunity for students to participate in activities that they love,” junior and boys’ tennis co-captain Joshua Melamed wrote in an e-mail interview.

Furthermore, the argument can be made that unlike Broadway theaters and sports centers, PSAL games do not attract gatherings of over 500 people, the standard of which de Blasio has used to curb the amount of people simultaneously occupying a given space. “During school, we encounter a crowd of more than 500 people. However, in PSAL sports events after school we definitely do not have 500 people there, so if schools continue to be open, I think PSAL activities should still continue,” senior and girls’ handball co-captain Tasfia Taj said in an e-mail interview. Suspending the PSAL appeared to merely be a band-aid solution to the greater overall issue at hand—closing schools—which de Blasio dismissed for a relatively long period of time.

Different teams have responded to the PSAL suspension in varying ways. One common tentative response several teams have been considering is meeting outside of Stuyvesant to practice. “Our coaches have reached out saying that they will provide us with workouts and runs to do on our own. Despite our inability to hold official practice, hopefully girls will be able to get together with others who live around them and continue training hard,” junior and girls’ track and field member Julianne Yotov said in an e-mail interview. Additionally, the girls’ fencing team attempted to convert its team into a fencing club in order to continue practicing.

Given the amplified precautions the city is taking however, especially with public facilities, it will be very difficult for teams to execute these alternatives. “Many team members practice at badminton centers off season, but as far as I know, several of these badminton centers, especially in Brooklyn, have closed temporarily due to the virus,” senior and girls’ badminton captain Vivien Jiang wrote in an e-mail interview.

Many captains feel members should not feel obligated to attend unofficial practices, especially those who feel especially vulnerable and susceptible to infection in doing so. “Safety comes first, and unless they are actively still attending school and riding the subways, they shouldn't feel pressured to go outside,” senior and girls’ track and field co-captain Ester Suleymanov explained.

Nonetheless, the Stuyvesant community is known for its resilience in times of conflict, and the coronavirus pandemic is no exception. Many athletes are turning to each other for support and comfort when faced with increasing social anxieties. “I think that in a time of such confusion and chaos, it is important that we support each other and understand that we will get through this,” Yotov said.

Though the future of the PSAL is uncertain, athletes will rely on their passion and dedication to remain optimistic and mentally focused on their goals. As senior and boys’ volleyball captain William Zeng wrote, “Our love for our sport drives us to find ways to practice by ourselves to stay mentally and physically prepared in the case that our season resumes.”