By Camryn Payne
As many of you know, we are currently living in a pandemic that has put the sports world at a standstill. Many professional leagues like the NBA and NHL have suspended play due to the fear of spreading COVID-19, while the NCAA decided to cancel all spring athletics and the remainder of winter athletics altogether. But COVID-19 has not only affected national sports but also high school sports as well. On March 11, Walled Lake Schools decided to suspend all athletic competitions. MHSSA followed suit by directing all member schools to suspend activities in all sports from March 16 to April 5. This sent shock waves through the Walled Lake community as many athletes and coaches saw their seasons become suspended.
Sophomore Shayne Beaufait, a returning player to the men’s varsity golf team, was one of the athletes frustrated by the news. “It’s frustrating. I miss being on the course with my friends and seeing what great things we can accomplish together with the solid coaching from Coach [Mark] Willard,” said Beaufait. Not being able to have team practices hasn’t stopped Beaufait from improving his game. “Although we can’t have team practices, I, myself, have been practicing every day and my game has never felt stronger after shooting a 68 (-3) and a 69 (-2) this week,” said Beaufait. After a strong freshman season during which he qualified individually for states, Beaufait will look to make a return to the state tournament once play resumes.
Like his golfers, head men’s golf coach Mark Willard, who was about to start his tenth plus season coaching the team, was disappointed by the news but knows the importance of the measures that have been taken. “The suspension of the season is very disappointing, but it is important that we continue to work together to stop the spread of COVID-19. While recreational golf is one of the few activities that have not been shut down in Michigan yet, the WLC golf team has no plans to hold optional practices or encourage players to leave their homes in order to keep working on their swings or game,” said Willard. Like other athletics, many important events throughout the golf season remain in limbo. “Our hosting of the pre-conference tournament at Edgewood Country Club on April 20th, the remainder of the Lakes Valley Conference season, and the 4th Annual Viking Golf Outing that was planned for May 2nd at Bayponite Golf Club are in limbo. We will pass information to our golfers and their families as we receive it,” said Willard.
Some senior athletes have been left wondering whether or not they will be able to compete in their last year of high school. “I wondered if I could even run track my senior year. I trained for all four years and for that final year to just get taken just sucks,” said senior Kyler Bosak. Bosak and his teammates remain hopeful that play will be resumed soon once COVID-19 gets under control. “We are all still training as hard as we possibly and praying that the suspension will be lifted soon,” said Bosak.
If you want to find out more about the sports suspension or keep up with any updated information regarding the athletic seasons you can visit these websites below.
The Call 