Lebo’s Morelli gives HS athletes a voice
On March 12, my teammates and I began preparing for our state championship prelims, unaware that this would be our last race for months — or for some of us ever. It is now December, eight months later and my team has yet to compete again.
For many of us, swimming is more than just a sport or a hobby ... it is a lifestyle. The majority of my teammates have grown up with this sport. We have good and bad times, but both of those define who we are as a person and as an athlete.
I have had the privilege of swimming for Mt. Lebanon Aqua Club for the past seven years and the honor to be a part of the high school varsity team for now the fourth and final year. I have grown with each and every swimmer on this team and formed an amazing bond, friendship and even family with these astounding people.
High school sports not only create long-lasting memories and relationships among athletes, but also between the athlete and a coach. These memories are a vital part to what high school is all about. I would not trade my high school swimming career for anything. Without this team and my coaches who never gave up on me, I would not be the person I am today. High school is a once in a lifetime opportunity and experience, but sadly my experiences are at risk of being cut short.
When my school board first announced we would be returning to full remote learning with no athletics permitted after Thanksgiving break, my stomach dropped. Our season had just started and it was already in jeopardy. The PIAA and WPIAL had previously stated they had no intentions of canceling the winter season — which gave us a sense of relief — but my school had other intentions and methods they thought would be safer for everyone.
The break for my school was only supposed to last two weeks
and I remember thinking that everything would be OK and to stay positive ... it’s only two weeks. I even encouraged my teammates more than usual in order to keep them moving forward. We all knew this was going to be a very different season and we expected a small pause here and there, but we never expected the whole season to almost get shut down.
When Gov. Wolf announced his new mitigations, which included all sports being paused until Jan. 4, I was speechless. I knew before the season even began that the school board was extremely hesitant and concerned about following through with winter sports and I knew this decision would only make it worse. Not once has anyone asked us — the athletes or students — how we felt or what we wanted. All I hear are parents and adults expressing their opinions.
As a member of both the Lebo swim team and MLAC swim club, I had the opportunity to swim through the summer and fall. Not once did I feel threatened by the virus, nor did I feel unsafe at any given time. Our coaches did an outstanding job implementing and enforcing masks, social distancing and limitations on attendance numbers. Instead of a full practice, they divided the team into groups and limited each practice to approximately 20 swimmers. They kept it to two swimmers per lane, with an exception of one or two lanes with three swimmers.
Most importantly, they kept us six feet apart at all times, and when exiting or receiving instructions while in the pool we were all masked. Both basketball teams and the wrestling team practice and compete in masks while following all other protocols they are instructed with. I speak on behalf of myself, my teammates and my fellow winter sports athletes when I say that not once did we feel uncomfortable or unsafe attending practices with our coaches and teammates.
Everyone has been extremely disciplined with following the guidelines and incredibly respectful of others. With a controlled environment, individuals who want to be there with a common goal, the spread of the COVID -19 virus is limited. Athletics are not the primary contributor to the spread.
We all understand the health and safety concerns and believe in safety above all, but what is not taken into consideration are the affects these decisions have on the athletes. Three days out of
the water is equivalent to three weeks of no training. It is detrimental to our health, wellness and overall performance. When a swimmer is not training, they are not sleeping or eating as they normally would and their entire body is out of sync.
Most importantly, the absence of our sports has a major negative impact on our mental and emotional health. For most students at Lebo, their sports are their escape routes from school, home or any other problems surrounding them. With online school and classes, we are already locked up in our houses for eight hours a day. On top of that, the homework load has not been entirely
friendly or understanding. Without the opportunity to break away from our stress and anxiety, we are forced to wallow in our own bad days. Sports are a way of life. They keep the majority of us emotionally stable, organized and on task.
A few of my teachers have started doing weekly checkins where they spend half a class making sure everyone is OK because of how draining online learning is and how utterly sad and disappointed my senior class has become.
This year has been filled with many things taken away with not a lot of consideration or good. Everything that made senior year senior year is gone — no dances, no senior boat ride, no in-person school, no special sections for us in the high school ... nothing. Sports was the last thing any of us had left of our senior year, but it’s not even just about the seniors, though. There are junior athletes fighting to get recognized by college coaches, but will have no opportunities to do so without a season. Imagine working your entire life, putting countless hours of hard work in and outside of practice just to have that opportunity taken away. That is how every single athlete feels right now, including myself.
Many states have been looking into pushing back the start date of winter sports, if they have not decided to do so already, in order to give their athletes a full, complete season. What kids need right now are leaders who explore possibilities and who unite the entire state, as opposed to a governor who cancels important events and sports, but still allows a larger number of people to gather at ski resorts with no consequences at all. It’s up to the citizens to hold the governor accountable for his actions and push him to do what’s best for the state as a whole. If we cannot safely play, practice or participate in our winter sports right now or come Jan. 4, then I believe the next best option is to simply move the entire winter sports season back until it is safe to do so. Not only would this provide studentathletes with the season we all so desire and the opportunities we all deserve, but it will also positively impact our mental health and keep us moving forward.
Senior year has been the absolute most draining, unmotivated, depressed year anyone in my class has experienced. But all the athletes are asking for is to just let us continue our season or at least give us the option to practice and train if you refuse to push everything back. We may be indoors, but our cases have been limited. We need the equal opportunities that were provided to the fall sports.
I do not want to have competed in my last high school dual meet or swam my last WPIAL and state championships without even knowing it. Every senior deserves a proper goodbye and one final season to be recognized for all that they have done.
Hannah Morelli is a senior swimmer at Mt. Lebanon High School and a two-time WPIAL champion and PIAA champion as a member of the 200 medley relay team. A member of the National Honor Society, she will be attending George Mason University in the fall on swimming and academic scholarships.