Due to the harsh rain and high winds that Hurricane Ian brought to Florida, all Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School after-school sports and activities were suspended on Tuesday, Sept. 27, Wednesday, Sept. 28, and Thursday, Sept. 29.

With many programs having games and matches scheduled during the week of the storm, players felt uneasy about their preparation due to the lack of team practices. For instance, the JV baseball program had only one team practice leading up to their opening game of the season on Saturday, Oct 1. With the team unable to practice cohesively together, they felt their performance was negatively affected.

“The freshmen are good, but they need to practice more with us as a team. We haven’t had enough team practices,” JV baseball first baseman Nick Diaz (11) said.

Even with the lack of team practices, players have been working independently to be prepared mentally and physically for their upcoming games. Players have been working out at home to keep their bodies conditioned.

“I pump out almost 100 pushups a day, and every once in a while I’ll go to the gym if I’m feeling good,” varsity linebacker Joey Chiera (34) said.

One of the many sports that have been heavily impacted by Hurricane Ian is the womens’ varsity golf team. As a team, they get very limited practice opportunities due to not having a home course, and with the weather conditions as of late, players have not been able to get their own practice time.

“We have had four tournaments so far. Two have been canceled due to weather,” golfer Cassidy Charles said, “Our team currently doesn’t have a home course, so we haven’t had a team practice all season. With the inclimate weather, we haven’t been able to train individually at all.”

Hurricane Ian is directly affecting MSD sports; nonetheless, athletes have shown creative ways to find ways to train themselves through the storm.