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mokenamessengerdaily.com sports
the mokena messenger | March 26, 2020 | 31
fastbreak
22nd century media file
photo
1st-and-3
THREE FEATS FROM THE
GIRLS INDOOR TRACK
AND FIELD SEASON
1. Kate Guderjan
Guderjan (above,
No. 51), a LW East
sophomore, broke
school records in
the 600 meters and
the mile (5 minutes,
14.33 seconds).
2. Mariam Azeez
The LW East
sophomore broke
the school record
in the long jump
(19 feet-1.5 inches)
at the LW East
Invitational at Olivet
Nazarene on Feb.
29.
3. Sam Spencer
The Providence
senior and
defending state
pole vault champion
broke the state
record in the event,
vaulting 13 feet, 5.5
inches March 5 at
the Joliet Central
Steelmen Shuffle.
Air Force brings home LW East grad, team stuck in Honduras
STEVE MILLAR, Sports Editor
Lincoln-Way East graduate
native Shannon Cooley and the
other 54 players and coaches on a
women’s tackle football team that
had been stranded in a Honduras
hotel after the country closed its
borders and began a lockdown
were airlifted out of Honduras on
Friday, March 20, and returned to
the United States via two U.S. Air
Force planes.
“It was definitely a crazy couple
days, but I’m really glad to be
back,” Cooley said.
Cooley, a junior at Arizona
State, was part of the U.S. team
competing in the American Women’s
Bowl in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
The team was set to fly home
on Monday, March 16, but late
night on Sunday, March 15, Honduras
president Juan Orlando
Hernandez ordered the country’s
borders to be closed for at least
seven days and put a curfew in
effect because of the coronavirus
pandemic.
The team was staying at a Clarion
Hotel and was not allowed to
leave the hotel premises.
“We have no idea how long
we are going to be here,” Cooley
said before the team was evacuated.
“Our team is together in one
place, so that helps a lot. We want
to stick together as a team.
“We’re just looking forward to
getting out of here, being back
home. Right now, everything is
turned upside down and we’re
looking forward to getting back to
our families and dealing with the
crisis back in the States.”
Cooley and the rest of the team
got their wish as the Air Force
planes flew them into Charleston,
Frankfort native Shannon Cooley
was part of a U.S. women’s
football team that was stranded
in a Honduras hotel for nearly a
week after Honduras closed its
borders amid the coronavirus
pandemic. PHOTO SUBMITTED
S.C. Cooley made it back to Arizona
the next day.
“It was wild,” Cooley said.
“We were in the jump seats. All
our luggage was saran wrapped
and put on pallets and loaded
on. The plane was packed. Every
seat was taken. It was crazy
loud. It was an experience that I
never thought would be on my
bucket list, but now it’s checked
off.
“Just walking off the plane, it
felt so good to be back in the U.S.
It was crazy. It was unreal. It felt
so good to be home and to be all
together as a team.
The coronavirus had not yet
made much of an impact in Honduras
when the team flew into the
country Wednesday, March 11.
The tournament went on as
scheduled from Thursday, March
12, through Saturday, March 14,
before the Honduras government
issued an edict banning events
of more than 50 people, causing
the championship game between
the U.S. and Mexico, scheduled
for Sunday, March 15, to be canceled.
“It wasn’t hectic at all when we
got [to Honduras],” Cooley said.
“Everything was fine. There were
only three [coronavirus] cases in
Honduras, so it actually seemed
safer than the United States.”
Cooley said the hotel was essentially
void of guests other than the
team. Most of the hotel staff was
also gone, but a few employees
were still around to help them out.
“There are some people who
live at the hotel and also work
here, so they are still here,” Cooley
said. “Other than them, there
are no employees here. The hotel
has been good with us, though,
trying to figure out a solution.
“The Mexico team and Costa
Rica team have had to move multiple
times because their hotels
have closed. We’ve been lucky
that this hotel has worked with us
and let us stay.”
Shannon’s mom, Kathi, was in
regular contact with her daughter
throughout the ordeal.
“She’s tough,” Kathi said.
“She’s going to act like, ‘Mom,
I’m good.’ But I know she’s having
a tough time.
“They shouldn’t have to deal
8
with this. They should be able to
go home.”
Cooley, who played basketball
at East, decided to give football a
shot and joined the Phoenix Phantomz
of the Women’s Football Alliance.
She is in her second year as a
receiver with the team, and has
also had the opportunity to play
with the U.S. team – essentially an
All-Star team – in multiple international
tournaments.
“It’s so crazy because I tell people
two years ago, I didn’t even
know how to put a helmet on and
now I’m travelling all over the
world playing football,” she said.
“It’s been an amazing experience,
except for something like
this happening.”
It’s a situation Cooley never
imagined she would be in.
“It seems like it was a movie,”
she said. “It definitely doesn’t
seem like it actually happened, but
I know there were a lot of people
who took some time out and there
were a lot of strings pulled to get
us out of there. I’m thankful for
our organization, all the congressmen
and local representatives who
helped, and anyone that had a part
in getting us out.”
Cooley said she and her teammates
will now share a lifetime
bond.
“Our team said we have to come
up with a saying, so we came up
with ‘There was always Honduras,’”
she said. “When we go other
places or play other teams, we’ll
think back about this.
“We come from all over the
country, so a lot of us didn’t really
know each other before this. But
after this, we definitely know each
other better than I ever imagined.”
Listen Up
“It’s so sad. Everyone on the track team is devastated about it, but we’re all
still training. We’re just hoping the outdoor season will happen at some point
and that this will be over with.”
Mariam Azeez - LW East sophomore track athlete, on spring sports being
suspended
what2watch
Scheduling decisions
Will spring sports resume as April begins, be further
postponed, or will the season be canceled entirely?
Index
29 – Team 22 Boys Basketball
28 – Athlete of the Week
FASTBREAK is compiled by Sports Editor
Steve Millar, s.millar@22ndcm.com.