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Missing their teammates: Prep athletes challenged by being #AloneTogether

By David La Vaque, Star Tribune, 03/27/20, 2:00PM CDT

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Edina's Maddie Dahlien and Lakeville North's Bayliss Flynn crave normalcy


Minnesota Thunder Academy goalie Bayliss Flynn (1) and forward Maddie Dahlien (24). Photo by Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune

Ice breakers, activities designed to bond a team, were what Maddie Dahlien remembers about the first few Edina track and field practices last spring.

Not this year. Not with the COVID-19 pandemic bearing down and triggering school closures elsewhere in the United States. The varsity track and field season, which started March 9, was all about getting athletes into training habits they would be forced to maintain on their own should practices be suspended.

“We hit it hard right away and got into a rhythm,” said Dahlien, a sophomore, of the season’s first three weeks.

Then on March 25, the closure of schools, and resulting suspension of team practices, was extended to May 4. For athletes such as Dahlien, who excels in two sports, the situation presents double the challenge.

As a ninth-grader last spring, Dahlien placed second at the Class 2A track and field state meet in the 100-, 200- and 400-yard dashes. Last fall she led Edina’s soccer team with 23 goals. She also plays a big role in the success of the Minnesota Thunder Under-16 club soccer team, ranked first in the Champions League.

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