By Judy Xie ‘23
On Saturday, April 17th, a new buzz of excitement filled the air as the first St. Mark’s game day finally commenced after a year without interscholastic competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although certain restrictions, such as limited spectator capacity are still in place, the school community has been grateful for any semblance of an ISL season.
Life under the looming presence of the virus comes with sacrifices and challenges, which the St. Mark’s athletics program certainly knows about. It has been a collective effort from our athletic directors, coaches, trainers, nurses, and athletes to pull off a spring season this year.
Ashley Maddock, one of our head athletic trainers who has worked closely with the nurses and health and safety officials this year to keep our community protected from COVID, shared some of the policies that have been implemented regarding the virus. This spring, all faculty, staff, and students have been tested twice a week to maximize our ability to isolate positive cases. In addition, athletes participating in interscholastic competitions must have a negative test result that dates no more than 72 hours before their sporting event. Ms. Maddock also discussed the diligence of following mask-wearing and social distancing guidelines. She explains, “Masks and social distancing have been the requirement all year. This spring, we continued to maintain those standards, even outside with sports. We know there are instances where a mask slips while playing, but for the most part our students did well with readjusting and keeping their masks in place”. It’s been a journey adjusting to new health precautions, but we’ve managed quite nicely here at St. Mark’s.
Another member of our community whom we owe a great deal to in putting together the spring sports season is John Levandowski, our Director of Athletics. He has had a positive outlook on this season, which I am certain has been conducive to the hard work and perseverance of our athletic program. Mr. Levandowski kindly shared his thoughts with me on how this unique year has given a different set of metrics to define and measure each of our athletic experiences. He has observed that “athletes demonstrated the very same level of morale, spirit and devotion to their team as they have in past seasons. They enjoyed competing in a practice setting and kept their eye on the prize which was simply to get better every day. In many ways, this past year was the most impressive one that I have witnessed as a Director of Athletics. Each afternoon our students’ love of sports was on full display. They bonded as a team, enjoyed their interactions and relationships, and reaped the many rewards associated with athletic participation.” Mr. Levandowski also made a point to give a special commendation and thank you to our talented staff of coaches that have helped to make this spring an exciting and vibrant athletic experience.
I had the wonderful opportunity of attending both the Varsity Softball and Boy’s Varsity Lacrosse home games against Lawrence Academy and Groton School, respectively that opened the ISL season for St. Mark’s. It was a thrilling experience and reminded me of how much I missed the game-day atmosphere. The roaring cheer that erupted from the sidelines of the turf after the boys pulled off an epic comeback win in overtime against our longtime rivals truly embodies the beauty of the St. Mark’s community. Softball was also able to clinch a victory as they came back from a 2-5 deficit to send Lawrence back home in despair.
In addition to being a spectator at numerous home games, I am also a member of the Girl’s Varsity Rowing team. We faced challenges with capacity limits at our boathouse and seating regulations on the buses, but we found a way to adjust. Our practices were fun and rewarding, and not only prepared us for our three races against other ISL schools but also brought us closer as individual boats and as a team. Racing added immense excitement to our season that helped boost morale as well. The unique circumstances surrounding this season certainly made it a memorable one.
The decision to hold an ISL season and have St. Mark’s participate in it was carefully deliberated. It has come with its own set of unique challenges and has brought upon new experiences for all of us. We have all lost a great deal to the pandemic, but it has also taught gratefulness and appreciation for parts of our lives we may have taken for granted. Where interscholastic athletic competitions would have been a given in previous years, it has now become a blessing. Everyone has adapted to make the best of the situation and I think I can speak for much of the school community when I say that I am ecstatic that nearly “normal” spring sports are now a reality.
Boys Lacrosse 2021, St. Mark’s vs Groton