Editor’s Note: Over the next weeks and months, Emmaussports.com will be spotlighting senior spring sports student-athletes at Emmaus High School who have had their final athletic year cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Today we spotlight Kaia Berrio (KB) of the Emmaus track and field team with our Q and A session:
Q: How are you coping during these difficult and uncertain times with the Coronavirus pandemic?
KB: At first, it all felt very unreal to me and I was convinced we’d be back in a matter of weeks, but as the world began to worsen, I was overcome by grief at all my teammates and the athletic opportunities and goals that we endlessly worked so hard towards just to be washed away. To cope with it all I have been independently continuing my training and graciously reflecting on my past cross country and track seasons at how far I’ve come as well as keeping in contact with my teammates.
Q: What’s been the biggest challenge for you day to day?
KB: The biggest day-to-day challenge has most definitely been trying to not become consumed in thinking about everything my fellow seniors and I are missing out on, but rather accepting what it is and having gratitude for all the experiences we did get to have in the last few years.
Q: What are you doing to keep busy?
KB: To keep busy I often run/workout, do my school work, talk to my friends, and go to work.
Q: How disappointed are you now that the spring sports season has been cancelled?
KB: I think I speak for everyone when I say I am completely devastated by the cancellation of spring sports. With that being said, I also think it is important not to dwell on our losses, but rather recognize how far we have come as students, athletes, and people and utilize those skills to the best of our ability in the future.
Q: What is your favorite memory from your high school sports career?
KB: My favorite memory from my high school sports career undoubtedly is the girls cross country team winning the league and district title, as well as being one of the top seven runners on the team that competed in the cross country state championships in Hershey. Despite being one of the most difficult courses I’ve encountered, this race granted me my all-time best PR as well as finishing as the fifth runner on the team when seeded seventh. None of this would have been possible without the endless love and support from my teammates and coaches, they were my motivation for everything.
Q: What are you future plans after high school? If college, what school have you committed to and do you plan on playing sports and what will be your major?
KB: My future plans include attending Ursinus College and majoring in biomedical engineering, as I plan to pursue a career in pediatric orthopedic engineering. I plan to continue cross country and my track and field career for the Bears.
Q: What’s the best advice you can give to your underclassmen?
KB: My advice for every underclassman is to embrace it. Embrace every win, every loss, every moment doing what you love because you don’t know when it could be your last. And I promise if you learn from those moments instead of watching them pass by, they will change you forever.