As soon as COVID-19 closed schools, athletes were shut down. No more after school practices, no more nerves before games, no more stands full of students and parents. Instead, after school was reserved for Netflix and TikTok binging.

Through the loss of physical time on campus, many student athletes feel that their performance has been affected due to COVID-19 closures.

“I feel like at first I didn’t do particularly good just because I was extremely nervous about doing them, but after [a couple of practices] I got into the feel of it,” sophomore Cielo Macias said.

The start of the 2021-2022 school year has allowed student athletes to return to actual practice and many already feel ready for their season of success.

The inaugural spirit event of the year, Meet the Cougars, was the first time the stadium stands were full of parents and fans in over 15 months.

The August 27 event gathered members of all athletic groups to showcase the teams and introduce parents and fans to this year’s athletes.

From cheer to swimming to volleyball, the cougars came out to show off for their teams for parents, students, and faculty to see.

Macias is a Junior Varsity cheerleader and she felt like the lack of time on campus has hurt her overall performance.

But from struggle comes success and Macias feels that the team has bounced back and gotten into the groove of their sport again.

Along with sports comes the Star of the West band, that took the field for one of their first performances together.

Drum major Alli Hunter mentioned that he felt as though the band wasn’t necessarily affected by the school closures that were brought by the pandemic.

“The band is still the same as in we are making music,” Hunter said.

Hunter felt there had been a learning curve for some of the members as they had practiced on zoom, but they had overcome those curves.

“I think it’s going to be great from here on out, especially since everyone is excited to learn,” Hunter said.

From having practice on zoom, having to be six feet apart or wearing a mask, teams are now able to meet at school and have practice as if nothing has happened.

Students and student athletes will both start appreciating weekly games more after being starved of them for a full year.

With the new upcoming seasons, teams will be able to represent Franklin High School as out of town games will begin to happen.

Meet the Cougars was a successful event in Franklin’s book as all sports this year will continue to grow from last year and make the best out of their season.