Covid Hoops
Throughout the 2020 crisis of covid, it has been extremely difficult for athletes to train and be recruited. Coaches and athletes across the country have been put in an extremely difficult and unique situation when it comes to recruitment. Due to all the covid guidelines and regulations, it has put a lot of pressure on athletes because now they are receiving less exposure from coaches who could have potentially recruited them. In my case, both training and recruiting for basketball have been altered since the pandemic erupted. Countless basketball courts across the world have had their rims removed in order to help prevent the spread of covid. Although it may aid the public health, it has put extraordinary amounts of stress and depression on people who may not have access to gyms and use basketball as their way to escape the problems of their life. A few friends and I had to explore new parts of towns and cities just to find a court where the rims are still up. Although it was a struggle to find courts, there were still a few hoops up which gave my friends and I an outlet to elude our stress. The journey of looking for untouched courts was a difficult one but ultimately brought my friends and I closer together. We struggled together and had to get creative with where we play and how we play, but it taught us all a valuable lesson. It taught us to be there for each other and to help each other which ended up strengthening our relationships through our endeavor to play ball. Overall although the pandemic has had a colossal impact on recruitment and training, it taught my friends and I valuable life lessons that we will carry with us for our entire lives and helped build stronger relationships between us.
