North Myrtle Beach Times Serving our Community and the Grand Strand for over 50 years
By John Smithson
With baseball at North Myrtle Beach High School ending early due to the coronavirus, coach Brian Alderson is much like most people – unsure of what the future holds. “Obviously nothing like this has ever happened before in our lifetime and it has been very difficult on our student athletes, our coaches and all our families. But if you put it in perspective, this virus has put a strain on the whole world, not just us or Horry County. It’s much bigger than that.”
Alderson talked about the many problems brought on by the virus. “It is really difficult. As a coach you get caught up in the daily activities of your sport. You work on the field, you plan for the next year, you prepare for the season and then it just all goes away. That’s mind boggling. There also is so much uncertainty about when we will be able to return to school or play sports again.”
“As a baseball guy, I think it stinks. We played six games this spring and then it was over. All the work that started right after the last out of 2019 to now. We prepared from that day forward, preparation of our field, getting the kids ready to play, weight training, speed workouts, the whole process that built us toward 2020. Then the kids don’t get to finish. This is really tough on our seniors. I began working with this group when they were in 7th grade. I’ve watched them grow, mature, develop and become young men. It’s sad that they don’t get to finish what they started,” Alderson said.
Alderson also spoke about the residual effect of the season’s end. “These kids didn’t get to finish what they started. We always talk to them about how to handle adversity, how to learn to be resilient, how to overcome obstacles. This is tough. I know they will be fine. It will sting for a while but eventually it will go away.”
Alderson spoke about his six seniors. “Only one of my seniors will go on to play baseball. For the rest of them, it’s over. They knew this was their last year, but they didn’t get to enjoy it, to enjoy being part of a team, especially in their last year with that team. But they will move on, heal and get on with life”
Alderson stated that the future was the same, but different. “I will still be out there three days a week, mowing the field, monitoring things and preparing for next year. But it’s not the same, not being able to play the game. No matter how long it takes, we have to remember as coaches and players that the time we spend affected by this coronavirus will be just a fraction of the time we have and that eventually we will get back to business as usual,” he concluded.
Last Friday night the three athletic fields at North Myrtle Beach High School were lit from 8:20 to 8:40 p.m. to allow parents and members of the community to drive by the school as a tribute to all the senior athletes who competed this spring before the schools suspended all activities and sports competition. The baseball field had six numbers printed on the outfield representing six senior players: 1 – Donavan Fields, 3 -Cory Thompson, 6 -Colton Kingston, 8 – Chad Beasley, 13 – Zach Naillon and 19 – Paul Roy.
