An Unexpected Start

The year of 2020 did not start off as expected. Instead of starting off the year with excitement, it was the total opposite. A new disease, known as Coronavirus, started spreading rapidly across the globe. This deadly disease has killed many people all across the world. Everyday the numbers get higher and higher. This has impacted many lives whether it’s in sports, school, or jobs. 

High school fall sports had to wait to make sure KHSSA and the JCPS board approved of them being able to play. They were making the decision based on the safety of the students and coaches. The KHSSA approved letting teams play and they were able to start conditioning but still had to wait for the JCPS board. When it was approved from both sides, precautions were made. At games, there was a limited number of fans that could be there. Social distancing was also something that had to take place if they wanted to be at the games. People also had to wear a mask to prevent spreading germs. 

The Fern Creek soccer ladies were fortunate enough to have their season in 2020. They were supposed to start conditioning in June but, because of Covid, it was pushed back to July. They had very little time to train and pick back up with their skills. It also made it harder for their coach to be able to train the new players she had for the upcoming season. In addition, the coach wasn’t able to run drills that involved contact. This made it harder for the players because they weren’t able to get a feeling on how they should play in their position.

Donna Keep, the coach of the girls soccer team, wanted her players to be able to enjoy their season as much as they could. She wasn’t going to let Covid take the fun from soccer. She made sure that her players were able to laugh and have fun this season.

“With covid-19 and everything else going on in the world, I wanted the team to just have fun and bond. Things were uncertain outside of our fence and I wanted the team to laugh, crack jokes, and make Tik Tok videos and we did a lot of that.” Donna Keep said.

This wasn’t the season that the seniors expected and they were sad they weren’t able to have any gatherings due to Covid. Kellie Knust, a returning player, is sad knowing that it was her last season with Fern creek. Not only was she able to grow as an individual, she also grew with her teammates. She saw her team as a second family and was able to make memories with them that she will never forget. Something she would like to see her teammates and new upcoming players do next season is seeing them beat Mercy.

“I see the potential the team has and I believe they’ll be able to beat them as long as they give it their all,” Knust said.