Lincoln County coach Martha Bastin watches sophomore Shelby Wilson putt during a practice session. (Dana Wilson Photo)
Lincoln County sophomore Shelby Wilson couldn’t wait to play in Tuesday’s regional golf tournament. She had never touched a golf club until last season and finally broke 50 in a nine-hole match his year. Her mother says Lincoln coach Martha Bastin did an “amazing” job and her daughter loved meeting other golfers/friends around the region.
However, late Monday night the family got a call it never expected. A Lincoln County High School teacher had tested positive for COVID-19 and about 100 students that were in her class Monday — the first day of in-person classes at Lincoln — had to be quarantined. Shelby Wilson was one of them.
“It’s just hard. It is disappointing for a 15 year old that has worked so hard and was so excited,” said Dana Wilson, Shelby’s mother. “She had everything packed and ready to go and then we get the call that she cannot go play. They (school officials) said the teacher started feeling bad at the end of the day, got tested and was positive. We have no bad feelings toward the teacher but Shelby’s world was just shattered.”
The rest of the Lincoln golf team still got to compete but the sophomore could not even though no one shares equipment or is close together on the course.
“We were hoping this year might be her chance to go to state (tournament). Now we’ll just have to wonder,” Dana Wilson said. “Maybe the Good Lord has a reason he does not want us up there (Anderson County) today. But she was so excited about going. She has not even been in a store but three or four times since March because she was being careful to not do anything to mess up her golf season.”
Dana Wilson knows of at least one player on the Lincoln girls soccer team who is also quarantined and will miss matches for the next two weeks.
Shelby Wilson’s brother also attends Lincoln County High School. He did not have to quarantine and was back at school today. Dana Wilson checked with both school officials and Lincoln County Health Department officials and both places told her only the students in the teacher’s class had to be quarantined and not others who were around those 100 students the rest of the day but not the specific teacher.
“I was concerned about sending my son back to school but that’s what they told me,” the mother said.
Not sure I quite understand myself why not more are quarantined but I’m sure Lincoln will have an official statement explaining this. But this also shows the impact one COVID-19 positive test can have with in-person school and why many students are still going virtual and some school systems have yet to start in-person classes.
“I give props to the teachers for doing what they are doing,” Dana Wilson said. “This is a pandemic. It’s hard enough to teach a child on a regular day but I give special props to teachers for doing what they are now. It’s just sad something like this, though, ended up impacting my daughter the way it has but fortunately we will have two more years for her to play in the region.”
