The fat lady is singing. The curtain is starting to fall. Senior athletes of the  Lancaster High School Class of 2020 are experiencing their final sports seasons. This last athletic season can have a profound effect on them as they prepare to leave high school and transition into the next phase of their lives.

“School pride creates a bond

between an individual and the school,” said Derrik Meador, author of The Increasingly Important Role of Athletics in Schools.

“This bond spans the course of a lifetime. It is a connection that can be both deep and meaningful.”
LHS senior and basketball player, Jacob Davenport says the team is a support system.

“Senior season means so much to me. I have worked so hard to be in the position I am in,” said Davenport.

“I’m so excited to play with my team, they’re my brothers and they have my back and they know I have their backs,” said Davenport.

Being a senior athlete means being held to a high standard by virtue of one’s experienc

e.

“For me it is a very honorable position to have others follow my example. This means as a good leader, there are certain expectations you should hold yourself too,” said senior Andrew Smith.

“You are now held responsible for how others perceive your actions,” he said.

Senior Grace Mahon said that she has mixed emotions about finishing her final season and graduating from high school.

“I am excited that I am a senior but that also means that after this year I will not be able to play with all the girls anymore and I will be too far away to be able to come watch games so it’s bittersweet to me,” said

Mahon.

Quinton Burke agreed with

Mahon and said he will miss the camaraderie of his high school team.

“It is exciting that it is our turn to be seniors, but also saddening because it is our last chance to play together as teammates,” he said.

Burke recently committed to The Ohio State University.

Research shows that student athletes are often are well equipped to handle life’s challenges (ESPN).

“Know that the magic isn’t in the game, the magic is in you,” says Sue Gordo

n, former Duke women’s basketball player and current deputy director for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

“Everything that made you a success at your sport is what will make you a success in any endeavor if you call on it.”