On April 5, the Commissioner of the Peninsula Athletic League, Terry Stogner, issued a final statement on the cancellation of the spring season in light of the ongoing pandemic.
“In the light of rulings by our governor, the [California Interscholastic Federation], and the [Central Coast Section], the spring sport season for all PAL schools is officially canceled,” Stogner said in his statement. “There are to be no non league events, no practices of any kind. We are closed for business until the fall.”
As practices and games have abruptly been cancelled just one month into the spring season, coaches and players alike are upset about the outcome.
“Mostly I feel bad for the athletes who were looking forward to the season,” said head track and field coach Dino Delyani. “We were just getting comfortable with event assignments and were getting into good shape when everything was stopped. Track and field season is a fun and busy time and it is sad to see it [cut short].”
While track and field has a bigger roster than most sports, sports such as boys volleyball, often where it’s more difficult to fill the roster, have been equally affected.
“Volleyball is an intensely team focused sport and is one of the best sports for learning teamwork. It’s all about taking responsibility, knowing what you need to do, and what you need to contribute,” said senior boys volleyball setter and captain Albert Hao. “We have a lot of eager and hardworking freshmen — people that are engaged and committed to the sport and want to get better. To have a nice grade of freshmen that are all really engaged, being able to teach them something valuable, is an opportunity we lost because of the coronavirus.”
This sentiment is felt across sports — opportunities lost to the coronavirus have impacted the team as a whole. Seniors, especially, are unable to properly welcome and guide the lower classmen in their journey through high school sports.
“I was looking forward to getting to know all the new faces on the team,” said senior tennis first singles player Daniel Duan. “We were off to a really good start in the season, and I wanted to continue to represent Aragon and celebrate our wins together as a team.”
The coronavirus not only diminished the morale of Aragon students, but also stripped them of ideal locations to practice their skills. Despite these discouraging circumstances, students on their own time individually exercise to stay fit for the rest of the season.
“The golf team, [just like] other teams, cannot hold practices or matches at this time,” said head golf coach Guy Oling. “Also, all the golf courses are closed. We do not have team practices scheduled at this moment. But as individuals, the golfers are keeping in shape and exercising.”
In this time of darkness, many students find themselves helpless, unable to interact with coaches, practice with teammates or feel united as a school.
“It’s definitely sad for my teammates and I to not be able to experience the arguably most important season in high school sports,” said senior lacrosse goalie Dylan Graf. “So I’m definitely bummed that I’m not able to have one last year with my team and with the sport … that I love.”
For every sport, the senior game is always greeted with anticipation and excitement. Yet, it has been cancelled.
“I was really looking forward to my senior game,” Graf said. “Sharing that moment with some of my closest friends on the team and my family was something I’ve been looking forward to my entire high school career.”
This unique situation has plagued many across the nation and has hence led to uncertainties, including plans if the 2020 spring season were to jump back up. Because of the coronavirus, the track and field team were forced to cancel the Don Invitational meet; a meet where everyone could have got together to compete against schools that normally don’t compete in their league, as well as being unable to compete in dual meets against their Peninsula Athletic League track and field rivals, such as Menlo-Atherton.
Although the spring season has come to an end, players and coaches alike still hold hope for the coming years.
