Blog #9:  Better Together

By Brenna Cohoon 

Flashback to last Friday when Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker announced that we will not be returning to our school buildings for the remainder of this academic year. I was cooped up in my bedroom, working on some homework when I first heard the news.  Despite the fact I was expecting this to happen eventually, I was initially shocked. I felt the same way yesterday when all spring sports were officially cancelled. As I let everything sink in, I thought about all of the high school milestones that I would miss because of the virus. 

I know that this pain is felt by many, so I wanted to hear some different points of view from other members of the running community. One day last week, I posted something on Instagram for about 30 minutes that asked if any runners wanted to share their perspective on this situation. I was blown away by the enthusiasm of the five runners who reached out to me within that brief time frame and loved learning about how they have all been dealing with our new normal. 

Everything that has been going on lately has been quite a challenge to process. Fatima Giron, a senior at Round Lake High School and Michigan State University commit, offered her thoughts about how she has been coping with lost opportunities due to the coronavirus. 

“Initially, when I heard about the postponement of having practice as a team, [it] did sting like a bee.  My mind quickly filled with all the negatives and [I was] saddened at the thought of all the meets I was looking forward to crushing and having fun in.  I really wanted to make an impact this track season because my cross country season was hardly one...due to injury. ...Better things are yet to come,” Giron said. 

Even though she was able to compete in the State Series this past fall, I can only imagine the frustration Giron feels about losing much of her track season now.  Her positive attitude highlights the importance of remaining optimistic throughout not just this situation, but any time of difficulty. 

If I am being honest, I have struggled with finding motivation from time to time during the last few weeks in quarantine. Skylar Boogerd, graduate of Arlington High School in Tennessee and a freshman at the University of Mississippi, shares how she has pushed through similar moments in her own life. 

“At first it was hard to stay motivated.  I felt like I was going through the motions.  Then one day I refocused and thought about all the goals I want to accomplish.  My goals remain the same and this just gives me extra time to get strong enough to achieve them,” Boogerd said. 

Hearing Boogerd’s thoughts served as a reminder that I should use this time to keep focusing upon improvement.  Even though my current goals will shift as I transition into college, the drive and determination to accomplish my goals will remain the same, or if not, grow. 

Even though I am trying to focus upon the positive impact this unusual time will have on my future, I believe it is important to also appreciate the amazing experiences I received over the past few years of running in high school. Senior at Hinsdale Central High School and University of Missouri commit McKenna Revord expressed similar sentiments. 

“I know my fellow seniors across the state, and I have been training our whole lives to race in this final high school season.  It has given me a newfound gratefulness for the racing opportunities I have been given in the past and I am extremely thankful to be able to have potentially four track seasons left in college,” Revord said. 

Revord’s perspective offers a balance between acknowledging the past and preparing for the future. Trying to find this balance in my own life, I reminisced upon some of my favorite memories as a Mustang while continuing to excitedly await my time as a Cyclone. 

Although strange, being isolated from others provides opportunities to reflect on oneself.  My teammate Kennedy Warden, a senior at Downers Grove South High and Belmont University commit, opens up about how she has been able to realize that running and her friendships are not the only things in life that define her. 

“Personally, two of the biggest things in my life are track/cross country and my friends.  These two things are now mostly out of the picture.  I have learned through this whole experience that there is so much more to me than just running and my friends and I didn’t realize it before quarantine,” Warden said. 

I completely understand where Warden is coming from, since I tend to place a lot of my personal value upon my friendships and my performances as a runner.  It is so crucial to understand that there are so many other things that make me the person that I am! 

Perhaps the most important way to think about all of this is by looking at the bigger picture. Senior at Argo High School and Bradley University commit Abby Lopez shares a complex summary of how COVID-19 has been impacting people in different ways. 

“This whole pandemic is a blessing and a curse in one. Some people needed a mental break from things, [the freedom of] spending time with family, and doing other activities that they don’t usually get to do and enjoy because they are busy with everyday life...But also the COVID-19 pandemic is hurting so many people and their families in ways many people may not understand. So much sadness is going around the world, but I feel with social media impacting it as well, the world has never been so united and that is an incredibly beautiful thing,” Lopez said. 

Lopez’s view of this pandemic is so powerful, stressing the importance of unity and being stronger together.  It encourages me to look at everything from a human standpoint rather than only mourning the losses as a student-athlete. 

A huge thanks go out to Fatima Giron, Skylar Boogerd, McKenna Revord, Kennedy Warden, and Abby Lopez for offering their insight for this week’s blog!