{"id":2456954,"date":"2020-04-08T21:36:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-09T03:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/seniors-hold-hope-for-a-shortened-season-in-may\/"},"modified":"2020-04-08T21:36:00","modified_gmt":"2020-04-09T03:36:00","slug":"area-seniors-hold-out-hope-for-a-shortened-high-school-sports-season-in-may","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/area-seniors-hold-out-hope-for-a-shortened-high-school-sports-season-in-may\/","title":{"rendered":"Area seniors hold out hope for a shortened high school sports season in May"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.4858757062147\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-324096-856\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled gallery-container\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/PrepsCoping-gpi-040920-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/PrepsCoping-gpi-040920-1024x673.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Chelsea Self \/ Post Independent | Kuba Bartnik and track mate Geffery Oliva warm up before training on Monday afternoon on the Rio Grande bike path behind the high school.\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Kuba Bartnik and track mate Geffery Oliva warm up before training on Monday afternoon on the Rio Grande bike path behind the high school.<\/strong><br \/>Chelsea Self \/ Post Independent<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/PrepsCoping-gpi-040920-1024x673.jpg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/PrepsCoping-gpi-040920-1024x673.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Kuba Bartnik and track mate Geffery Oliva warm up before training on Monday afternoon on the Rio Grande bike path behind the high school.\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/PrepsCoping-gpi-040920-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/PrepsCoping-gpi-040920-1-740x1024.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Chelsea Self \/ Post Independent | Glenwood Springs High School senior Kuba Bartnik trains on the Rio Grande bike path behind the high school on Monday afternoon.\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Glenwood Springs High School senior Kuba Bartnik trains on the Rio Grande bike path behind the high school on Monday afternoon.<\/strong><br \/>Chelsea Self \/ Post Independent<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/PrepsCoping-gpi-040920-1-740x1024.jpg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/PrepsCoping-gpi-040920-1-740x1024.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Glenwood Springs High School senior Kuba Bartnik trains on the Rio Grande bike path behind the high school on Monday afternoon.\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/seniors-hold-hope-for-a-shortened-season-in-may\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/seniors-hold-hope-for-a-shortened-season-in-may\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">A small glimmer of hope for high school senior athletes statewide came in the form of a brief note posted to the Colorado High School Activities Association website Monday evening.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">That same night, Gov. Jared Polis extended the statewide stay-at-home order through April 26, and earlier he had said that social-distancing measures and limits on large public gatherings would need to continue through April to curb the spread of COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">That left CHSAA\u2019s current timeline unchanged \u2014 for now.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The spring sports season and other CHSAA activities remain suspended through April 30 amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation at-donation-mobile p-0\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/at-banner-paypal.jpg)\" class=\"col-xl-8 p-3 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/donate\/?utm_source=article&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=donation&amp;utm_term=&amp;utm_content=mid-article\">Donate<\/a><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe recent closing of some schools and districts (for the remainder of the school year), and Gov. Polis\u2019 extension of the stay-at-home order, hasn\u2019t changed the timeline we established on April 1,\u201d CHSAA Commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green said in the statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">CHSAA officials have not elaborated on what exactly that could mean come May, and if an abbreviated season for baseball, girls soccer, track and field and other spring sports could still happen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Glenwood Springs High School senior athletes Kuba Bartnik and Celia Scruton hope it means their efforts to keep up with conditioning and training as best they could during the suspension won\u2019t be for naught.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt is heartbreaking to have the vast chunk of my senior season stripped,\u201d said Bartnik, a promising sprinter on the Demons\u2019 track and field team who is holding out hopes for a return trip to the 4A state meet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cA lot was riding on having a breakout season with my lofty goals and likely figuring out where I may continue to pursue my track and field career,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The initial news in late March that the season would be suspended through April came as a shock, Bartnik said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cAfter deep contemplation \u2026 I discerned that I needed to turn that frustration into my work and keep moving on,\u201d he said of a regular routine of \u201ctrack\u201d workouts on the bike path near the high school.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Since CHSAA does not allow the use of even outdoor school facilities during the shutdown, Demons\u2019 track coach Blake Risner prepared some voluntary individual workouts by placing distance markers on the bike path so that Bartnik and others could do sprint workouts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt keeps me going and helps me to prevail optimistically through the situation,\u201d said Bartnik, who has aspirations to run track in college. \u201cI hope I will be able to throw on my high school track uniform once more and perform well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Scruton, who is senior captain for the GSHS girls soccer team, is also taking the suspended season in stride.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt has definitely been a hard pill to swallow, but I\u2019m trying to stay positive,\u201d she said. \u201cI keep telling myself that we will come back, we will play at least one game, have one more practice \u2026<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe most upsetting thing for me is that I may never get to step on the field with girls I have played with since elementary school, and not being able to play with my little sister, Abby, for at least one last game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Scruton said the scholarship she accepted earlier this year to play soccer for Evergreen State College in Washington state is unaffected by the current situation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">She has been working out on her own, doing cone drills by herself, running and getting as many touches on the soccer ball as she can.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI have also worked out with my college team a couple times over video calls,\u201d Scruton said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The thought of not playing her final high school soccer season is the worst, but it\u2019s not just that, she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">There also won\u2019t be a prom dance, and there\u2019s even a question whether graduation ceremonies can take place in early June.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cNot having all the rituals that go with being a senior makes it feel like we have no closure,\u201d Scruton said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Coal Ridge High School senior Ryan Kotz just came off a storybook hockey season playing for the Glenwood Demons. The all-league forward was chosen to play for Team Colorado in a national high school hockey tournament that was to be played in early May in Minnesota.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The tournament has since been canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak, and now his senior baseball season for Coal Ridge is in jeopardy, too.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe still throw the ball around when we can and play some wiffle ball,\u201d Kotz said. \u201cEveryone is just trying to stay ready to play, just in case.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cMy friend, Jared (Lund), and I were looking forward to hitting a lot of home runs this year. If it does happen, we just have to go all out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Coal Ridge senior Maren Hough was looking forward to the spring girls soccer season and was planning to double up as a member of the Titans track and field team.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cYour senior year, you know, it\u2019s what we\u2019ve been looking forward to,\u201d Hough said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Her soccer team made it to the 3A state playoffs last year, losing a heartbreaker in the first round in overtime. The senior captain had been hoping to help carry her team deeper into the playoffs this spring.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">If the season does resume, she may not be able to do both soccer and track.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Last season, she was part of the state-qualifying 4\u00d7400 relay team, and also competed in the open 400 and triple jump.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Hough had hoped to try hurdles this season, but expects to focus solely on soccer if sports do start up in May.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><span class=\"Body Copy Italic\"><a href=\"mailto:jstroud@postindependent.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">jstroud@postindependent.com<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/seniors-hold-hope-for-a-shortened-season-in-may\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kuba Bartnik and track mate Geffery Oliva warm up before training on Monday afternoon on the Rio Grande bike path behind the high school.Chelsea Self \/ Post Independent Glenwood Springs High School senior Kuba Bartnik trains on the Rio Grande bike path behind the high school on Monday afternoon.Chelsea Self \/ Post Independent Show CaptionsHide [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2456954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 05:25:13","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2456954","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2456954"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2456954\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2456954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2456954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2456954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}