As the warm weather begins, the spring sports season does, too. Recently, Bellows Free Academy announced the start of the new spring sports season, which includes baseball, softball, track and field and boys’ and girls’ tennis and lacrosse. After missing last season, the coaches couldn’t be more excited.

Head Coach of the Girls’ Varsity Softball team, Richard Berthiaume, reflected on missing the 2020 season, stating that, “It was disappointing to be out last year, [especially] the seniors [that didn’t] have the opportunity to play.” 

However, Berthiaume said he is excited about “[all] the new faces” this year, and the “growth [his] team [will] make between now and June.” 

The excitement for the new season isn’t just with softball.  Head Coach of the Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse team, Mary Pipes, spoke about her excitement for this season, explaining that “[She’s ready] to see [her] team grow and [is] excited to see how [they] come together.”

Even with being allowed to practice and compete this season, there are still some setbacks due to Covid. For instance, track and field coach Michael Mashtare said, “[It’s] very uncomfortable for [the] athletes to wear their masks [and] is hard to breathe, [especially] when competing”(Mashtare).

Mashtare added how social distancing impacts his team, mentioning how there are “no team building activities or get togethers.”

Although Covid-19 has brought setbacks to the spring sports teams, it has also positively impacted the teams and players.  Berthiaume spoke about the “enthusiasm and desire [his team has] to get out [on] the field and compete at the highest level possible.” 

Through that positivity, teams have also overcome the adversity due to Covid. Pipes mentioned that “[her team] has handled the adversity by being very supportive of one another.”

Commenting on the Comet Lacrosse team’s experience with handling adversity, Adi Hughes (’24), a player on the team, said that, “We’ve followed all the protocols and made sure that we are still a team while [following them],” and “we [are still] having fun while being safe.”

Despite the tough loss of last year’s spring season, the BFA coaches and athletes appear ready for what this year brings.