Sporting events affected by COVID-19

WINDOW ROCK

It’s customary for my entire family to get together for the holidays.

Like most Americans, our plans had to change due to the nasty virus that has affected us all.

“COVID-19” is a term that we would all like to erase from our vocabulary because it has robbed us our freedom, and our way of life.

As the senior sports writer for the Navajo Times I have missed out on a number of state playoffs games and a handful of signature events that bring out the best in our Native American community.

With the pandemic, my colleague, David Smith, and I had to find other means of producing a sports section for our loyal readers. And even though our section is a little thin I’m content with the product that we produced.

During this unusual year, we featured a lot of our young athletes, either in college or about to enter that next phase in their lives. We also highlighted other youths who have excelled in their chosen disciplines.

The pandemic canceled a multitude of iconic events from the Shiprock Marathon, to the Ty Murray Invitational, the Wild Thing Bull Riding and the Indian National Finals Rodeo.

All of the tribal fairs were affected as well, including my favorite: the Navajo Nation Fair.

Due to the ever-changing trends with the disease, we talked to several coaches to keep you informed about what’s going on in the prep sports scene. Needless to say, all of our athletes had to sit out the spring season as the pandemic ceased all competition.

The pandemic continued to have a ripple effect on high school sports as some Arizona school districts opted out from having a fall season.

Needless to say, I was disappointed when the news hit, but it was a bigger blow to our area athletes, as the gains they made during the offseason weren’t going to be displayed.

Because of the prevalence of this disease New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in mid-July suspended all high school contact sports for the rest of the year.

In response to the governor’s order, the New Mexico Activities Association had contingency plans in place to play soccer and football during the spring while going forward with cross country and volleyball as early as September.

But those plans were later shelved, as the public health orders Lujan Grisham established during the spring were never updated. Rather than taking part in competition all teams in New Mexico had to maintain the 9-to-1 athlete-to-coach ratios, with limited use of equipment and no scrimmages.

On a much more somber note, we lost Alamo Navajo boys basketball Coach Marcus Pino Sr. to the disease.

The beloved basketball coach passed away on Apr. 16, a week after contracting COVID-19.

The father of five was eulogized by many as a “very loving and generous person,” who was willing to take his shirt off his back if you needed help.

Upon hearing the news of his passing I was stunned. I was taken aback because the last conversation I had with Coach Pino was the day he was admitted to the hospital.

He had phoned me asking me if I had received his nominations for the selection of the Navajo Times All-Stars. With the limited service that I have at home I took his call and we talked very briefly.

Our conversation was muffled and according to my phone record we talked for a minute and 4 seconds and during that call I had no clue or indication that he was sick with the disease.

According to his family, Coach Pino was placed on a ventilator after being whisked to an Albuquerque hospital on Apr. 9, a few hours after we had talked.

His willingness to call me despite dealing with breathing issues says a lot about how much he cared for his athletes.

Not long after his passing, his mother, Marie Pino, lost her life to COVID. I had interviewed Marie for the story I wrote about her son and she said her beloved son was a father figure to all the athletes he coached at Alamo Navajo.

“He was that kind of coach,” she told me. “He talked to them like they were his own kids. He was like a father figure to all his players. He wanted them to succeed.”

There were many others that succumbed to this dreadful disease as many families suffered an overwhelming amount of grief. As we move forward we just have to remember those that we have lost and with this new year approaching I’m looking for us to return to some sense of normalcy.

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