With schools closing all over Idaho, students and teachers have had to adjust to online learning and instruction. But student-athletes now must watch their seasons come to a disappointing end, an end that hits seniors harder than others.
After the Idaho High School Activities Association canceled spring sports last week, seniors and other student-athletes must watch their seasons fade into the twilight. But despite the disappointing end to the season, some found a way to honor the seniors at many local high schools, while practicing social distancing.
Many local schools, including Idaho Falls High School, held an event called, “Be the Light.” The event honored athletes with a drive-thru style format. Students, parents, friends, and others gathered in their vehicles with decorations and lights to see one another and celebrate the senior athletes who didn’t get a traditional send-off. Ravsten Stadium’s lights were also lit up.
“People would drive around the stadium itself, honk their horns, some students decorated cars,” said Patrick Lloyd, athletic director at Idaho Falls High School.
Lloyd said he felt impressed by the turnout at the make-shift celebration.
“I was pleasantly surprised and pleased by the attendance that we had,” Lloyd said. “We had a steady stream of traffic here… for about an hour.”
Lloyd also said they turned on the scoreboard in the stadium and showed clips of Idaho Falls and Skyline High Schools playing each other in different sports.
Although the event differed from traditional means, Lloyd said it felt like a nice gesture.
“It doesn’t fill that void at all, but at least it’s something to let everyone know we are still thinking of them. Not just as athletes, but as the class of 2020,” Lloyd said.
Events like these display the true resiliency humans have when facing hard times.