With it being close to graduation, seniors have started to decline the work and work ethic that they are willing to put into school, but most importantly sports. Unless you are a dedicated athlete or team captain, chances are you have already checked out for the season. This can be a huge issue for coaches and teams right now, but the bigger question is how is this impacting athletes here at FHC?

No matter what sport you are playing, as a senior, your season does not simply stop because your classes do. Sporting events can go anywhere from May to mid-June depending on the sport, and because of this, most athletes end up coming back to school at the time of practice so that they can still have that experience with their team. 

“I think it’s been very hard for me to stay focused, knowing I’m about to be done with high school,” senior Erik Hansen said. “Playing a school sport after no longer attending there is gonna be a weird feeling. I’m gonna try my best to stay on track and stay locked in for my teammates and coaches and not get carried away when summer starts. “ 

This is not just a setback due to motivation though; some athletes say that the time and schedule being weird could also add to the resent to show up to practice. 

“I think it will definitely be weird to not be in school but still have practice and games. I think I might struggle to have the motivation to get to practice on time because it’s right in the middle of the day, and since I don’t have school, I won’t already be here at school,” Charlotte Stephen stated.

Some athletes in different sports and head spaces quit during this awkward time due to senioritis and not caring, but some senior athletes this year plan on taking a different route and are prioritizing their practice to make the most out of what they have left this year. 

“I personally love it. I feel like throughout the school day there are tons of distractions that happen instead of focusing on my sporting event at hand,” senior Crandall Quinn stated. “So, I like the idea of having the whole day to take my time and lock in on my sporting event during the day. I also like the idea of being able to do something before my practice or game that isn’t mentally draining.”

Overall, there is no shortage of opinions on how the sports scene will be and feel once the seniors leave, and no matter what viewpoint you have on the matter, FHC is taking the adjustment one day at a time to stay ahead of the game. The new schedule may post a few setbacks for our seniors this year, but there is no doubt that Ranger athletics will still pack the same punch it has had the entire season.