ADAMS, N.Y. (NCC News) – Mia Buckingham is a senior at South Jefferson High School who has grown up playing the sport of lacrosse since 2nd grade. The month of March hit and she was told that classes were on hold indefinitely due to COVID-19, which meant the lacrosse season was on hold also. Being a senior and knowing that this was her last go around left Buckingham emotional.
“It wasn’t sudden, you could see it coming, but I was in denial from the start like until I heard my senior year was cancelled I was kind of hopeful,” Buckingham said.
South Jefferson High School girls lacrosse has been to the sectional finals several times over the past five years and this year the goal was the same. The end of May marks playoff time and for Buckingham it’s really hard to sit around and just think how far her team could have made it.
“Sectionals is something that I will remember not just for the lacrosse but for the stuff when I have to deal with failure and how I can bounce back,” said Buckingham.”It is just a learning moment for me and I think that everyone on the team could take it as a learning moment and I think that definitely would have helped us this year to thrive especially those younger girls they could have taken this year as a learning moment.”
Now moving on to playing Division I lacrosse at the University of Albany she feels that she needs to take off-season training very seriously due to the fact that she hasn’t played the sport of lacrosse in a full season.
“We are doing stuff to condition us but not over condition us so that we are burned out by season. I have been doing a weekly schedule that is a work up to season where things will get progressively harder,” said Buckingham.
COVID-19 has been a huge adjustment for high school athletes, but maintaining a good work ethic and mental state is what is helping her to get through these difficult times.
