Outsports is asking LGBTQ people in sports how they are impacted by the coronavirus crisis and its effects on all aspects of daily life. Today: California college tennis player Colby Grey. He identifies as gay.
What once was my outlet has been stripped away due to the devastating shutdown caused by the coronavirus.
Spring sports were canceled, and as tennis is a spring sport, our season was cut short. While this impacted my tennis, the effects it has had on me personally are greater. My school, UC Santa Cruz, was shut down and transitioned to online learning, leaving me at a loss for my first year of college.
I’ve had medical complications with a stomach surgery I had years ago that I need to have reversed, but due to the medical system being overwhelmed, it’s been put on the back burner. While this is obviously a bummer, I see the greater need for America to use all its resources to focus on the pandemic.
I have coped through regularly counting my blessings and realizing that I have been blessed not to come down with the virus. I live in Santa Cruz, so the beautiful trees get me through part of it.
Knowing how strong we are as a country gives me hope. We are undoubtedly going through a difficult time, but we have faced harder times before and come through.
Together, with unity and love and prioritizing those in need, we will rise above our current circumstances. We all have had to make sacrifices,but all hope is not lost.
No virus will cause us to lose the ability to love ourselves and love others. It is up to us to put love at the forefront of our everyday life.
Colby Grey, 19, is a freshman at the University of California Santa Cruz and is on the tennis team. He was captain of the varsity tennis team at Templeton High School in California, the student body president of his high school, and county player of the year in 2017. He can be reached through Instagram (colby_grey) or through email at [email protected]
Read Colby’s coming out story.
If you want to share how the coronavirus crisis is affecting your life, please email Jim Buzinski ([email protected])
