As senior athletes ourselves, we cannot believe our final season is approaching. We originally didn’t think we would even be able to compete with our tennis team this year. 2020 and 2021 has been filled with uncertainty and loss as most senior athletes have lost their opportunity to compete normally. Some sports have finally been approved to play while others remain postponed. To hear the well-rounded senior perspective, we would like to share the words of our fellow athletes and friends.

Maggie Kornfeind shares her personal experience as a member of Marymount’s varsity soccer team for four years and COVID-19’s impact on her last season as a sailor. 

Maggie, how has COVID-19 impacted your sport?“I’ve been really lucky to have been able to train for soccer throughout the entirety of covid, but it definitely looked very different from my typical training and games. Covid has forced me to improve the little details that are crucial to becoming a better soccer player, and also has given me the chance to develop my fitness through running, since it’s something I can do by myself. It’s great that soccer is outside because we are able to play with our masks and still have little risk of infection, but we also make sure to utilize individual training to lower the risk completely.” 

What has been your favorite part about being on Marymount’s varsity soccer team? “My favorite part about being on the Marymount varsity soccer team is just getting to know and play with so many different players across different grades. I also love our bus rides, team bonding, and home games with all the parents and other fans!” 

What will you miss about being an athlete at Marymount? “I will miss getting to play on such a beautiful field with my closest friends, especially after a long day of classes. Just being and playing together can really make my day!”

Kayla Winn, varsity basketball player, discusses how COVID-19 has brought uncertainty to her sport and the personal importance of Marymount basketball. 

Kayla, how has COVID-19 impacted your sport? “Unfortunately, Covid has greatly affected Marymount’s basketball team. Due to close contact, and basketball being held indoors, I haven’t been able to play basketball for an entire year. As a senior, it’s disappointing because I’ve been looking forward to playing basketball my final year at Marymount. Hopefully, our team will be able to play a few games before the year ends.”

What has been your favorite part about being on Marymount’s varsity basketball team? “My favorite part about being on the Marymount Basketball Team is the great friendships I’ve made with my teammates and being coached by Coach Locke who has helped me improve my basketball skills throughout the years.”

What will you miss about being an athlete at Marymount? “I will miss seeing my teammates at practice every day, playing in games, traveling for tournaments, and all the laughs.”

Emma Courtney, recent “Athlete of the Week” and varsity water polo player, reveals her team’s adaptation to our circumstances in regards to competitions and her fond team memories. 

Emma, how has COVID-19 impacted your sport? “Covid has impacted my sport specifically because we are a contact sport. In the game, we need to get into each other’s personal space to make sure that they cannot score a goal.  Being a goalie I have been personally impacted because people were not allowed to shoot on me.  Everybody was shooting at an empty net and I was not allowed to block because COVID rules did not allow us to share balls with one another.  COVID has caused our team to not be able to practice to the ability we would like.

What has been your favorite part about being on Marymount’s varsity water polo team? “My favorite part about the team is definitely the people. Some of the nicest and most welcoming people I have met have been through the water polo team. Water polo is not necessarily the most popular sport in the world so most high schoolers come to tryouts and practice having never played, including me. Every year the upperclassmen are always there to help and give people tips about how they can improve which I think has helped me become a better player throughout the years. The team will make me laugh. If I am ever having a bad day I always look forward to having practice. During COVID my water polo team has been the thing I look forward to daily.

What will you miss about being an athlete at Marymount? “As an athlete, something I will miss would be game days and taking the bus to away games or decorating our pool deck for home games. Waking up in the morning and putting on your warm-up gear instead of a uniform is one of the best feelings. Walking around campus and seeing other people wearing their game day outfits is also really awesome because you just know that everyone is excited for the day. The bus rides on game days are also really fun. My team would normally blast music and we would get pumped up for the game we were headed to.  When we have home games we would try to make our deck look really nice with posters for the seniors and of our team. Home games were also fun because teachers would occasionally watch and cheer us on along with a bunch of our friends.”

For the two of us, playing tennis with masks on is definitely challenging, but we are grateful for the opportunity to play as a team for one last season. Singles tennis is less impacted than doubles tennis due to the distance between players, and we are ensuring the safety of our fellow teammates with several precautions. Playing on varsity for the past four years has been so challenging and rewarding, and we are so grateful to tennis for the beginning of our life-long friendship. We will miss our incredibly fun carpools to practice, playing Burn (very intense game with lots of sprinting), and cheering each other on. Go Sailors!