ATHLETICS |
When Thornton Academy Middle School indoor track and field coach Kirk Agreste ’ 99 conducted his team practice on the afternoon of Friday , March 13th , little did he know at the time that it would mark the last in-person gathering of any school athletic team for the balance of the 2020-2021 school year . Since that date , Linnell Gymnasium , Hill Stadium , and the other playing fields surrounding the Thornton Academy campus have remained quiet and free of any school and community athletic activity as the coronavirus pandemic has gripped the country ’ s attention . For the first time since the fall of 1907 ( when there were not enough boys interested in participating in football ), Thornton Academy did not field any interscholastic programs in a sports season . Despite the loss of many traditions associated with spring athletic play ( e . g . preseason trips , senior nights , and state championship tournaments )
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Thornton ' s Athletic Department has continued to operate , albeit in a virtual , screen-based mode . In addition to holding several meetings to keep coaches updated on current information related to the pandemic and any directives coming from the Maine Principals ’ Association or the Southwestern Maine Activities Association , the department has conducted several events via electronic platforms for the public as a whole . On May 20th , Thornton Academy held its annual fall athletics information night for families of incoming freshmen ; 50 individuals participated in this Zoom meeting . Similarly , a live senior athletic awards program was held on June 3rd . Over 50 speakers , including all varsity coaches and captains , joined student hosts Mia Taranko ’ 20 and Kobe Gaudette ’ 20 in a celebration of the athletic accomplishments of the members of the Class of 2020 .
A number of spring athletic programs met via Google Classroom throughout the season to conduct virtual practices .
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Thornton Academy boys ' tennis coaches Andrew Carlson and Chris Kohl met regularly throughout the season with their players to provide instruction and communicate training routines that student-athletes could conduct in isolation . In addition , Kohl utilized the team ’ s Twitter page (@ TABTennis ) to share tips about imagery and visualization .
Middle School coaches Kirk Agreste ’ 99 ( outdoor track and field ) and Lauren Sonneborn ( softball ) conducted similar activities for students who had expressed interest in being candidates for those programs , neither of which began in-person workouts . “ We [ developed ] workouts the kids can do at home without weights or going to a gym ,” observed Agreste , “[ and ] we post [ ed ] how-to videos on workouts .” Noting the need for generating communication and enthusiasm for the sport while creating connectivity , Agreste noted , “ Our hope [ was ] that the page can be a place where the kids can get some ideas when it comes to
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Seniors from the softball team came together for one last huddle inside the dugout . |