Season Interrupted: Isabella Kam is down with her Eastbound future
Throughout the spring, The Times will interview high school seniors whose athletic careers were cut short by the coronavirus outbreak.
Name: Isabella Kam
School: Burbank Burroughs
Sport: Softball, outfielder/pitcher
Key stats: Batted .667 and had a 2.45 ERA in 2019; 4.4 grade-point average
Fall plans: Will attend Dartmouth
A look at the high school sport standouts whose seasons were cut short by the coronavirus outbreak.
On the season being canceled:
“Our head coach quit right before the season started. We were doing our best to prepare for games not knowing what to expect. We were fortunate to have the previous head coach come back. The team had a renewed energy. Then COVID-19 flushed all our hard work down the drain.â€
On the secret to her success:
“The secret for me was knowing my self-worth throughout high school, not letting others define what kind of player or person I was and staying humble.â€
On what she misses most:
“The intensity of the games, the camaraderie of the practices and the busy schedule.â€
On the new things she’s discovered during the sports stoppage:
“I discovered I can bake, but just because I can bake does not mean I’m good at it. I also learned how to refurbish our outside furniture.â€
Garden Grove Pacifica slugger Alyssa Brito had dedicated the season to coach Mark Campbell, who passed away last year. ‘This was our year to do something big.’
Where she sees yourself in 10 years:
“I see myself as an actuary on the East Coast.â€
On the most valuable lessons she’s learned:
“Appreciate everyone and everything around you. As an athlete, play every game as if it’s your last. This is a time you really need to learn how to rely and invest in yourself. It has to come from within. You have to work around so many limitations due to the pandemic.â€
Video interviews of each athlete can be found at latimes.com/sports/highschool.
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