LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) hasn’t had in-person instruction since the pandemic began, but it did bring back fall and winter sports with COVID-19 guidelines in place.
When girls basketball returned, Kaylee Harrod said she also returned to herself.
“I feel back, you know, feel normal now,” said Harrod, a sophomore at Seneca High School in Louisville.
The 16-year-old is the shooting guard for the team, and said she noticed her mental health affected by not playing sports during the pandemic. For example, she didn’t want to get out of bed.
“Sometimes I would just be falling behind because I didn’t have motivation to do anything, you know, and basketball kind of helped me out,” Harrod said.
Harrod’s mom, Amanda Maris, also noticed a change in her, saying Harrod wasn’t her typical happy-go-lucky self.
“She plays soccer, basketball, and softball so when everything was kind of ripped away from her…I mean it was almost like a culture shock to her because sports has been her entire life,” Maris told Spectrum News 1.
Harrod chose not to play soccer during the pandemic.
So when she decided to get back on the court, Harrod said she noticed the difference in herself after two weeks.
“Probably just being around friends and, you know, being able to socialize [in-person], not over the internet,” Harrod said.
Maris said her daughter playing basketball again also helped their relationship.
“I’m her biggest cheerleader, and that’s one thing her and I really bond over is sports, and you could definitely tell there was a strain on our relationship just because we didn’t have that to bond over,” Maris said.
The team’s point guard, Yasmin’ Johnston, said when basketball season started it felt great to get out of the house.
“And be able to come out and be around people again and make new friends,” Johnston said.
The freshman also noticed a shift in her mental health.
“Yeah, it helped me get out of bed, do something. So yeah, it made me a lot happier,” Johnston said.
The 15-year-old said she noticed her mental health change within the first week. Her dad Jeremy Johnston said being able to play basketball again on a team helped his daughter tremendously.
“Basketball is something she loves to do so anything getting out, just playing in the driveway is not the same. She’s just so competitive that the competitive nature brought the best out in her,” Jeremy said.
Jeremy said having Yasmin’ play basketball again wasn’t only great for her but it was also great for their family.
“It [gave] us something to look forward to to be able to come sit down and watch her play and do what she loves doing,” Jeremy said.
Last week, the Jefferson County Board of Education approved the phased-in reopening of its schools. Grades K-2 are the first to go back on March 17, 2021. The last grade levels to go back are middle and high school students on April 5, 2021. All students will do a hybrid learning plan with part online and part in-person instruction.