Special to the Elmore/Autauga News
Players were heartbroken. So were coaches.
“It happened all of a sudden. You usually have time to prepare for things, but not with the coronavirus,” said Tara Osborne, Prattville Christian Academy’s athletic director. “I know how much our student-athletes were disappointed, but my heart was broken too. You just couldn’t explain it. One of my greatest joys is to see our kids play ball and that stopped in an instant.”
The shutdown hit PCA as hard as it did all schools. Senior athletes saw their last days go down the drain. PCA was on the brink of hosting a softball tournament the day the shutdown hit. Hosting a tournament is no small feat and requires a tremendous amount of manpower and expense. It was quite a letdown.
“I struggled with what to say and what to do. It was very difficult. Trying to explain things to the kids, well, it was just about the hardest thing I’ve ever tried to do. It was hard trying to find the positives,” Osborne explained.
Not knowing how long the shutdown would last, Osborne felt communication with the PCA coaching staff was extremely important. Once the school closed Osborne said finding the next step to take was critical.
“I met with all of our coaches on Zoom. We wanted to stay ahead of things and keep everyone updated. Our facilities were closed, and kids couldn’t work on their skills,” she said.
“It was difficult trying to figure out what the new normal would be. We were looking at nothing but uncertainty, and there is still no way to know what will happen this fall. The only thing we can do is hope for the best and be prepared for the worst,” Osborne said wisely.
Osborne stepped up to meet the challenge. She knew she had to have a message of courage, a message of overcoming disappointment and adversity. Osborne found strength in her own experience. She is a cancer survivor and knows what it takes to overcome negative circumstances.
“I know when battling cancer I always told myself to get better and not be bitter. We certainly didn’t want the virus situation, but it could turn into a great learning opportunity for young people. I felt it was important to have a message of how we need to realize things we can’t control. Like I have no control over cancer; our athletic programs do not control the Coronavirus. We have no control over decisions made by our government or our association (AHSAA),” Osborne said. “I’m hoping our kids will understand that there will be times like this in life, and that a good, positive attitude helps one make it through. There is always something to be thankful for even in the worst of situations.
“I hope we can have students look at things and determine what is important and less important. All coaches need to remind young people to give all you have because you never know when things can be taken away.”
At this time PCA is providing as many opportunities as possible and trying to get a grip on that now popular phrase – the new normal. According to Osborne, parents seem to be just as excited about playing ball as the students.
“Most of the feelings have been over the uncertainty of actually getting to play. For the most part, few parents have voiced concern about the virus. All of us at the school are feeling better just because we have our student-athletes on campus and they are active.”
