By Tatum Love, Staff Writer

Friday, March 13, an unexpected last day of face-to-face school. Along with everything else happening that day about academics, the N.C. High School Athletic Association tweeted “Spring sports suspended indefinitely including workouts, skill development, practices & contests.”

This crushed the hearts of the senior athletes playing spring sports: no senior night and no last games with the people they had been playing with for years.

With the lack of school sports throughout the spring and summer and even into fall, many student-athletes at First Flight had time to focus on the summer travel sports season.

Junior Maggie McNinch plays soccer for the U-18 Virginia Rush, practicing in Virginia Beach but traveling across the region for games. McNinch was eager to keep playing the sport she loves, but uneasy about doing so with new teammates.

“Something special about playing travel sports is meeting new people from different places,” McNinch explained. “I was really nervous before I went to my first practice since I didn’t know anybody aside from Ava O’Neill, but all the girls and coaches were very welcoming and kind. I love playing for high school because I’ve been with those girls for so long now, but Rush was exciting and new since I didn’t know anybody.”

A few of the modifications to McNinch’s practices due to COVID-19 include the players spreading out more than usual during water breaks and stretching. But at least soccer takes place outside. For sophomore Isaac Dobie, his NC Blazers AAU basketball team out of Elizabeth City hasn’t even been able to practice because Northeastern High School’s gym isn’t allowed to be open.

This didn’t stop Dobie’s basketball team from traveling over the summer all across the East Coast. The farthest tournament they attended was in Atlanta.

“The major difference at games was that everyone was wearing masks,” Dobie said. “You can only enter the gym for your game (not to watch other teams play), and the crowd is much smaller than usual.”

Summer lacrosse is another popular sport for FFHS students. Junior Neely Morris plays travel lacrosse for Coastal Crush Elite out of Virginia Beach. Morris played all over the East Coast this summer, from tournaments in Spartanburg, South Carolina, to showcases in Maryland.

Morris said the only modifications at practices are having her temperature taken by her coach. At tournaments, the players also face temperature checks and have to wear masks when they aren’t playing, and there are fewer teams than usual.

“Travel sports have definitely become more important, because with schools not being constant with decisions and what is going to happen, travel is the only opportunity I get to play the sport I love,” Morris said.

Junior Tatum Love can be reached at 22loveta53@daretolearn.org.