Sports have always been a big part of my life. Personally, I’m a fan of just about everything, especially at the collegiate level. Professionally, I am privileged to work with athletes around the world to help them sharpen communication skills.
In March I traveled to Florida for my annual spring training sessions with the Atlanta Braves. I was especially excited to be one of the first people in the Braves’ brand-new, state-of-the-art stadium. They moved from Disney’s Wide World of Sports and built their own facility, CoolToday Park — which is, in fact, very cool and very today. It’s in the city of North Port, between Sarasota and Port Charlotte. Admittedly, it’s still a little isolated and hopefully there will be more hotels and restaurants nearby in the future.
The sessions with the players were right before Major League Baseball ceased operations. Everyone was a little wary, but none of us had yet grasped the scope of what was to come. After I returned home, my husband, Randy, and I shared our annual Final Four ritual of watching Hoosiers (and my annual ritual of weeping at the end) and filling out our faux brackets. We were disappointed we couldn’t be there in person, but, of course, it was the right decision.
Alas, MLB Opening Day has also come and gone, along with all other events. We remain hopeful things will return to some normalcy in the coming months to shine a little light back into all of our lives. Meantime, please be well and be safe, and we will continue to keep our memories.
— Sue Castorino, contributor
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