Tears welled up in my eyes sitting in my recliner Friday afternoon watching the LQPV-D-B Shadows win the State Dance Jazz Championship. It was an emotional afternoon for me. So proud of the Shadows, but sad that I couldn’t be there covering them on the radio. Covid had caused that to happen, but Friday was also my last day of quarantine from contracting the virus. So it was a great day.

As many of you know, I love my job and covering the area high school sports scene. I’ve been doing it for a very long time. I missed a few basketball games this past week, but sitting in my living room Friday with my wife watching the Shadows online and listening to Ken Franzky on the radio who was taking my place was hard for me. I kept checking my phone to see all the posts from Edina High School and the Double Tree Hotel from the Shadows and their parents. They were having so much fun. I watched the Livesteam from LQPV and could see all the excitement from performing at the state tournament and winning the championship. I wanted to be where the action was! I wanted to be there!! Covid took that away from me.

I can’t imagine the emotional pain it must be for high school teams that have had to quit their seasons because of Covid. The Paynesville Bulldog girls basketball team was about to start section play this week and their season ended because of Covid. The BOLD dance teams couldn’t participate in section dance last weekend and the list goes on. It was the first time I have missed state dance in 18 years! It just felt wrong to be sitting in my living room. Lots of different emotions went through me Friday afternoon, anger, sadness, happiness, depression, laughter, tears, disgust, joy, love, indignation, anxiety and excitement. Just a flood of emotions because I wasn’t doing what I was supposed to be doing.

I was so happy for the Shadows team and their families that they got to complete their season and participate in a state tournament. That is an amazing achievement. Ken Franzky did an amazing job on the radio with interviews and updates. I did enjoy listening to Ken interview all the girls and coaches on the radio and reading and looking at everyones posts on social media. It was different this year with the pandemic, but a year everyone will definitely remember.

My quarantine is over and I get to go back to doing what I love and that is covering high school sports. Having Covid wasn’t much fun and it will take a while for me to get back to normal. I did grow a beard and lost about 10 lbs. One day I slept most of the day and another day I baked some brownies. Spent 13 days straight with my wife, and worked from home. I’m a survivor of Covid. People have blamed Governor Walz or the Minnesota High School League for what is happening. I haven’t agreed with many of the decisions they have made either. But, I wouldn’t want to have to make the decisions they are making. I blame the virus for destroying what we had. It has taken a lot of people down and I am thankful I wasn’t hospitalized or worse yet, died. So, its back to the routine Monday. Section basketball starts this week and I can’t wait to get in the gym.