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 Liz Mazzella (LM) of the girls 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?
LM: Right now, I’m focusing on keeping everything one day at a time. Focusing on the positives of each day I think is really important. I’m lucky to have my family with me during this time and they really help me get through all of this too.
Q: What’s been the biggest challenge for you day to day?
LM: The biggest challenge for me is trying not to get weighed down on the negatives. I have to keep reminding myself of how lucky I am unlike so many others. It’s really great to still be connected with friends and family whether it be social media or just calls and texts.
Q: What are you doing to keep busy?
LM: To keep busy I have been doing school work, exercising, reading, watching movies and spending time outside whenever I can. My family and I love watching movies together, so we’ve been doing that a lot.
Q: How disappointed are you now that the spring sports season has been cancelled?
LM: I am incredibly disappointed and sad. This was going to be an amazing season for girls and boys and it’s something I definitely took for granted. I’m so grateful for all of the time I had with the team leading up to this. Senior year means a lot, so it has been difficult, but I still know how amazing it is to be part of a team.
What is your favorite memory from your high school sports career?
LM: My favorite memory would have to be the PIAA state quarterfinals for field hockey. I remember having a bad week leading up to the game, so I was really nervous. I ended up scoring three goals in that game, obviously with a lot of help from the team. The best feeling was hugging my teammates so tightly after every goal we would score. We worked so hard to get there, and working together for that kind of success meant a lot to the team.
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?
LM: I will be attending Kent State University in the Fall to major in Architecture and I hope to play in club and intramural sports.
Q: What’s the best advice you can give to your underclassmen?
LM: High school is what you make of it. If you work hard and enjoy it, it can be the best time of your life. There are so many opportunities for you, and it’s okay to be scared to take a leap of faith. You never know where things may lead or if you’ll look back and regret something you didn’t do. I’m sure I speak for lots of seniors when I say don’t take anything for granted. Enjoy the good and learn from the bad. Four years goes by faster than you think, so make it count.