Imagine, a lifetime of intense training and preparation only to be pushed back another year. The Olympics is a goal for many athletes across the world. They spend their entire life prepping for this one event in order to get global recognition. Not only were the Olympics pushed back but so were all Junior Olympic games. Junior Natalie Hernandez is an accomplished volleyball player who has been on a national team for five years and has been to Junior Nationals/ Olympics three  times! Personally, she has felt that this has seriously pushed back her volleyball career. She states, “I’m pretty upset that our season came to an abrupt end to be honest, your 17s season can truly make you or break you because it is such an important year for recruiting and committing to colleges so I think I missed out on a crucial part of my season. Especially, because we receive the most exposure at junior nationals/Olympics from college coaches.” Losing this time has pushed back a lot of potential recruitants and may have stopped their career all together. Although they may not be performing for the world right now, athletes are taking this time to prepare for the future games. Natalie expresses that “ The Olympics are a very important event and  has some of the greatest athletes in the world being recognized for their hard work and they set an example for young athletes all over the world.” She uses inspiration to continue her training at home and prepare for the future.

• Contributions also made by: Kassandra Aguirre (YB)