Beginning March 16, all athletic events at Birmingham Community Charter High School (BCCHS) will be canceled. All BCCHS athletes received an email last night notifying them of the new change.

BCCHS staff is taking precaution in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that is quickly spreading around the world. 

“We have canceled all outside use of the Birmingham Facility to prevent members of the community from possibly infecting our students or staff,” BCCHS Principal Ari Bennett said in the email. “Please know that our number one priority will always be to ensure the safety and well-being of our students and staff.”

While athletes understand that necessary action needs to be taken to avoid any illnesses, some still express sadness with the possibility of whole seasons being canceled.

“It kind of hurts everybody but we really can’t do anything about it,” baseball player Chris Romero said. “This was going to be a big season. I learned a lot last year that I was going to implement into this season and to hear that hurts because it feels like a waste of a season.”

As players continue to train off campus, there is a sense of determination and resilience that BCCHS athletics can and will move past this.

“I hope that we can start practicing again, and get back to playing games,” track and field athlete Naamah Silcott said. “Although this is a really big thing going on, I hope it can be controlled enough for us to keep playing.”