Lisa Gingras

March 13, 2020, changed the world for so many for a variety of reasons. It is not necessary to list what has happened since that date as we all know too well what the past 22 months have been like. But for our high school track athletes, it has been an endless waiting game.

After finishing the winter 2019-2020 indoor track season, the word eventually came that the entire spring season for all sports would be cancelled. This was devastating for all students and coaches. When fall sports began in August of 2020, everyone thought the students would at least all have their athletic programs to get back to some semblance of normalcy. The fall season was different playing with very strict COVID protocols but we made it through then began to look toward the winter 2020-2021 season. All assumed that though different, all sports would again compete as they did in the fall. Then, we received the dreaded news that the indoor track season would be cancelled. That was the second consecutive track season lost for our high school students.

Indoor track requires a college facility to host regular season meets and the state championship event. The local college campuses were not allowing outside groups to use their facilities, thus there was nowhere to have a meet so the season was cancelled. Many schools, including North and South, still held workouts and practices throughout the winter season. There were a couple of small meets at the Hampshire Dome in Amherst, but the season was just not the same. With no divisional championship meet to work toward and qualify for, the season was just not the same for the students or coaches. But the they worked hard and persevered and prepared for the spring outdoor track season. That work certainly paid off as Nashua High School North won the Division 1 Championship for both boys outdoor track and girls outdoor track and Nashua High School South was the runner-up for the girls. What an unbelievable spring season to say the least especially after the two previous seasons being cancelled.

In the fall of 2021, with school back in session full-time and fall sports seemingly “normal”, everyone began to believe we were finally getting through the pandemic. But once again, there were rumors and questions as to whether or not college venues would be available for high school sporting events during the winter season. And once again, for the third time in four seasons, track season was cancelled. There were no venues to host regular season events and no place to host a state championship…again. So many high school student-athletes were once again left without the sport they loved. The plan, as was done the previous winter, was to hold practices and workouts and give the students as many opportunities as possible. But this winter was different from last, as more schools began hosting “mini-meets” at the Hampshire Dome and other states were allowing New Hampshire students to compete without meeting qualifying standards. So although there was not an official winter indoor track season, the local students and coaches created a season.

Nashua South Boys Indoor and Outdoor Track Head Coach, Doug Booth, had this to say about this winter:

“The past couple of years have been a challenge, to say the least. The fact that so many of our seniors have been affected with lost opportunities is heartbreaking for all of us coaches. The prospect of another lost season this year, with the loss of places for us to compete, looked to be devastating. Then the New Hampshire coaches stepped it up to find chances for the kids to compete at the Hampshire Dome. This was huge for all of us and my kids have taken the experience on as though they are simply grateful for the chance to compete. They have used practices to try to improve themselves for these competitions.

To be frank all of the current athletes could have dismissed this and treated it as a discounted season, but they didn’t, they embraced the situation. They have put their heart and soul into practices and into they’re school workout so they wouldn’t miss out on competitive opportunities. Their hard work has paid off and as coaches we can see that this will be very beneficial for them in the upcoming Spring season.”

Coach Booth’s words speak to the passion our students and coaches have for their sport. The students and coaches have demonstrated through the past two years resilience and commitment to their school, sport, and each other.

Lisa Gingras is director of athletics and wellnes for the Nashua School District.