High School Sports

Video diaries show prep athletes coping, conditioning amid coronavirus pandemic

The new normal for the ever-active high school student-athlete doesn’t feel right at all.

Shelter-in-place, distance learning and social distancing are all words and themes that invaded the hectic lives of teenagers across the country, especially with those whose schools have been shuttered due to the coronavirus pandemic that has stalled much of the country.

The Sacramento Bee caught up with three student-athletes from the region, two in Placer County and one in Elk Grove, to share their story and message, and how they condition and train without teammates or coaches in an effort to stay active.

Multi-sport star Grace Bliss of Colfax, football bruiser Isaiah Byars of Cosumnes Oaks and softball slugger Nia Trinidad of Whitney each provided a peek inside their workout lives and their thoughts in general. Each was insightful, and each is easy to root for. Hear their story, see their story and share their story.

“I just wanted to close strong,” Trinidad said of her senior season of sports and campus life in general, adding, “I do cope with trying to make my friends and my family and my acquaintances happy.”

Said Bliss, “I know this pandemic is a big bummer for everybody. I just hope people are making the best of it and doing what they can. It’s hard knowing we’re not going to have a senior prom, and, obviously, the big thing is graduation. I just hope we can find a way to squeeze that in or make it work.”

And Byars, “For awhile, we didn’t know what was going on (with the rising fears of the virus). It’s getting pretty structured now.”

This story was originally published April 8, 2020 at 7:37 AM.

Joe Davidson
The Sacramento Bee
Joe Davidson has covered sports for The Sacramento Bee since 1989: preps, colleges, Kings and features. He was in early 2024 named the National Sports Media Association Sports Writer of the Year for California and he was in the fall of 2024 inducted into the California High School Football Hall of Fame. He is a 14-time award winner from the California Prep Sports Writer Association. In 2021, he was honored with the CIF Distinguished Service award. He is a member of the California Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Davidson participated in football and track in Oregon.
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