(Editor’s note: This is the first in what will be an ongoing series featuring first-person essays from senior spring high school athletes in the Big 30 area. With the spring sports season cancelled, the Era is giving local seniors the chance to reflect on the nature of this experience. Submissions may be made to sports@bradfordera.com)

2020.

A number that most associate with the optometric term for perfect vision. However, this number also depicts the year of my graduating class; a school year that ended in a way none of us could have seen coming. What irony …

With the cessation of school, sports and life as we know it, my classmates and I have been stripped of the activities our elders speak of when reminiscing about their senior year. The possible memories that could have been made during our last year of spring sports, our senior prom, our daily interactions with peers and teachers and our last annual yearbook signing (Barker Day). Unfortunately for us, that’s all it is … what could have been.

We will never get to wear the red and black on our spring Senior Night. We will never be able to dance the night away with our best friends in the transformed gymnasium. We will never have any closure with classmates or teachers in whom we may never see again. We will never get the countless signatures in our final yearbook.

But I refuse to let these unfortunate circumstances define the Class of 2020 or me. As a class, we deserve to be remembered for our actions, and not the chaos of today. After all, we will soon become doctors, lawyers, teachers, military men/women, etc., and extraordinary ones at that.

As for my own experiences relating to sports, the cancellation of spring athletics was all but finalized when on April 9, Governor Wolf made his announcement, and the unthinkable had become reality. The first thing I thought of when I heard the news was that my senior year was gone, along with baseball, my favorite sport.

The game has brought many opportunities into my life, but more important than the game itself, are the friendships I made because of it. Baseball, as well as other sports, has played a key role in molding me into the young man I am today. However, this wasn’t the games’ doing, and it certainly wasn’t my own doing, but it was the people and the relationships I have built along the way.

To thank all my teammates and coaches who have had a hand in making me who I am would be impossible. Just know that you all hold a special place in my heart. With that being said, there are a few others that I would like to thank.

First and foremost, I would like to give all the praise and glory to my savior, Jesus Christ, for allowing me to fearlessly embark on this crazy journey. I also would like to thank my amazing family for always encouraging me to be the best version of myself that I can be, regardless of the circumstances.

On a side note, to stop any confusion, here are the answers to some frequently asked questions I get about my family: Yes, my dad is the P.A. announcer for most Bradford High sporting events. Yes, my mom is “Lori Robinson,” the all-time leading scorer in BAHS history. And yes, my sister is the football player with the blonde ponytail who DRILLED the extra point on my Senior Night, becoming the first girl to score a point for Bradford High football team. Thank you to my family for the many years of love and support.

As I had previously stated, in my opinion, baseball is indeed the greatest sport on Earth. Baseball can be described as a microcosm of life’s changes. Every pitch brings new hope and the possibilities of what can happen when the pitcher releases the ball are endless, just like waking up each day ready to take advantage of what life has to offer. I challenge us all to wake up each day with a positive attitude towards life, no matter how unfortunate our circumstances may get, ready to handle any pitch we are thrown.

So, whether it be a fastball down the middle or the nastiest of curveballs, strive to knock each day out of the park, and after your trot around the bases or your long day in the real world, when you reach home, take a moment to admire the good work you have done and the people who have been there for you along the way.

To the Class of 2020, to my teachers, to my coaches, to my classmates and to my best of friends, from the bottom of my heart, I say thank you.

I wish you all good health and positivity. God Bless.