Winter season would have arrived here at Yorba Linda High School, but with the setbacks of COVID-19, it is unsure if that season will come. CIF constantly updates the plans for this year’s sports, but every update comes with change and setbacks. 

Recently, CIF has officially cancelled the fall season for sports and doesn’t plan on changing that. While the California Department of Public Health tried to form a plan for these sports, it wasn’t going to happen as too many problems could arise. Football player, Jacob Linden (11), told how he feels about missing fall season, “This was going to be my biggest year so far.” He was excited to show how much progress the team made, “It just sucks that it’s not up to us if we can compete or not.” The recent address was still unclear about if a winter season could happen. This has caused many athletes to worry about whether or not their season will happen. 

Mixed opinions have been going around the community as they question the future of the year’s sports. Lilliana Springer (9), plays for Yorba Linda Women’s soccer. This is her first year in high school, but the pandemic set back some of her hopes. She commented, “I think it’s really sad we don’t get to play together.” Lilly wished to have fun with her friend but is unsure if her season will even happen. Shelby Schroth (12) has been competing on varsity cheer since her freshman year and she imagined closing this chapter of her life on a high note. “I am sad we will possibly have no competition season.” The cheer team’s football season seems to not be happening as more COVID guidelines prevent large gatherings. However, Shelby is staying with her cheerful attitude by saying, “We should hope for the best in hard times like these.” At practice, she tries to keep that positive spirit so she can remember the good instead of the bad.

Many students still keep up with their workouts as they hope to return to their sports. Although, there are some who just can’t attend due to the high risk at home. Isabella Rodiguez (11) participates on the YLHS wrestling team. She said, “I don’t want to attend practice knowing there’s a chance of catching the virus.” Isabella does simple workouts at home to stay in shape, but she doesn’t want to push herself as her season is still unknown. Working around the CA guidelines can be a struggle for the larger teams, but many still practice after school. The YLHS Stadium is always being used by teams during the week. 

While the official stop of this year’s season is still unsure throughout the community, many athletes are keeping their fingers crossed in hopes of playing alongside their friends. The cancellation of the fall season worries many of the athletes for the other sports seasons. Others try to remind people to stay optimistic as these times seem scary because there still lurks a chance of once again returning to their teams.