March Madness is what they call it but this 2020 basketball season can be summed up as March Sadness. In all my life of watching and playing basketball I have never seen the basketball season cancelled, an esp. right in the middle of games. Yes some have seen the season be locked out from the start, but this is different.
Not just the sport of basketball but schools, businesses, gyms, and markets all experience unprecedented times as the coronavirus takes center stage.
As I am writing this story, we are being told no one is to be outside at night unless your essential worker. This a time where the term social distancing dominates everyday speech whilst the social media platform has now taken the form of our new town halls. Being a journalist and an essential worker now has shown that the virus is very media related as most people are just taking safety measures such as wearing mask in public and using hand sanitizer.
The athletes of the world are coping the best way they know possible as the quarantine seems to linger on till the upcoming summer months. Many of the NBA players have turned to the video game world in means of connecting with the fans and just feeling like the game of basketball is still in their lives.
But for the local people living inside the Merrimack valley finding an outlet can be exceedingly difficult and finding a person can be harder as most people are stuck in the house. But lo and behold I found someone who isn’t afraid of this pandemic and living life to the fullest.
Meet Christa Hayes a local photographer takin advantage of the situation and not letting the moment go to waste. Hayes is a photographer and college student for the Beverly Arts School at Monserrat. This virus is like nothing that no one has ever seen before, says Christa, “So I’m thinking why not cease the moment and capture this art in time. People and business alike are all effected, and pictures can help tell a story inspires others or warn others”.
As a freelancer worker Christa spends time going to different places taking shots of newsworthy or memorable moments and finding a way to make that a piece that then turns into art of some kind. When asking Christa what keeps her motivated during these times, she says that “the virus may be bad outside, but the weather and sunlight exposer of the spring is great for taking pictures. This is a moment in history and the ones who take advantage won’t be forgotten.”
Those words rang true for me as well, as I finish up my last semester of Community College this year. Going outside and taking walks in nature with my basketball seems to make me feel as normal as possible. The biggest question left on everyone’s mind is what is normal life going to be like after all this passes?
