On April 3, the Michigan High School Athletic Association canceled the 2020 spring sports season.

With the stricter quarantine and social distancing policies being enforced, spring athletes can’t practice beyond the confines of their household. Despite attempts to train during the hiatus by completing technical drills and conditioning, the likely possibility of the season being canceled looms over them.

Huron seniors like lacrosse captain Alex Dubin and soccer captain Jadyn Smith are among those who find themselves in this situation.

“If I knew last year that it could possibly be my last year suiting up for Huron, it definitely would’ve taken a toll mentally, and I can’t believe I might be done,” Dubin said.

Throughout his career, Dubin was always integral to the lacrosse team, leading them to a signature win over Lincoln as the leading scorer. Despite not having a winning record, Huron had loftier goals this year to flourish into a better team. For Dubin, he might not be the one to lead that charge.

Smith was supposed to relish her last year of competitive soccer, after several years of club and school play, yet now she won’t make a return.

“There’s not much you can do about it, but it’s still frustrating,” Smith said.

“We had a new coach this year and I was really starting to get to know and like him, the other people on the staff, as well as all of our teammates,” Smith said. “Not being able to get to know them further is a big part of the reason I was pretty sad about not being able to play.”

With more clarity being gained daily with the situation and listening to Governor Whitmer’s declarations, it was almost inevitable the season had to be canceled. Before the announcement, there was speculation as to what the MHSAA could do to salvage it.

“I thought they should let people practice for a week and then play the state tournament,” Smith said.
Similarly, Dubin wished to play a shortened season, while recognizing that it might be unrealistic based on current circumstances.

Even with the cancelation, these two’s athletic careers won’t stop this year. Smith will be playing college basketball rather than soccer at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and Dubin will stick with lacrosse at Kalamazoo College.

The limitations placed by COVID-19 and not playing a spring sport can hinder their training for the next level.

“I was supposed to play against some incoming teammates and this definitely impacts how I can get better,” Dubin said.

If anything positive can be learned from this, it’s that athletes shouldn’t take any day for granted.

“You could always have your last game because you don’t know what’s going to happen on the next play,” Dubin said. “It’s a gift to play the sports that you play, and anything can happen so you have to love the sport for what it is.”

Sports provide something that no other things can, as the memories associated with them have no other source. Anyone who’s played a sport knows it, and it’s why athletes are always able to recollect certain moments in detail. For Smith, it was in the district final against Skyline.

“Last year when we won districts, in the last five minutes it started raining, but there was also a rainbow,” Smith said. “It was a really cool moment because my sister made the game-winning penalty kick, and it was just really sweet.”

Riveting moments like these are the ones that won’t be made a reality with the cancellation of spring sports, whether the decision has validity due to COVID-19. The choice is a disappointing one, and the nation has to continue searching for a more favorable outcome. All the seniors deserve it.