The past couple of years have seen some pretty good times at Clinton High School. Several of the Dark Horses athletics programs have accomplished deep runs in the state playoffs which has yielded three state championships. For Clinton senior Justin Pike, not only has he been a part of two of these championships, he also has earned several other accolades along the way.
For this Senior Spotlight, Pike has already completed his time as an athlete for the Dark Horses, however, he too is enduring disruptions to his senior year. While not missing time on the field due to COVID-19, like many other seniors, Pike’s senior year isn’t exactly unfolding quite like he imagined.
He weighed in on his thoughts of the current situation affecting the world.
“It’s kind of scary to think about COVID-19,” Pike stated. “My mom had been talking about it for a while and how it could affect us. I didn’t think much of it until my papa was scheduled for surgery and realizing I wouldn’t be able to go see him.”
That’s when things begin to get a little more serious.
“At first I was excited about being out of school and then everything started getting cancelled. It just didn’t seem real. It’s really not fair to all the senior athletes that have probably had their last game and didn’t even know it. I hate it for my classmates that only play a spring sport that they didn’t get a senior night, but I do think we are taking the correct measures to flatten the curve of COVID-19.”
Though Pike’s time as an athlete at Clinton has concluded, that doesn’t mean the virus hasn’t had impacts on his future athletic and academic journey. With college decisions looming, he detailed the problems that he is running into during this chaotic time.
“The suspension of spring athletics has impacted me because I was set to go on several out of state official college visits as a swim recruit. With all the cancellations, it affected me directly because I was not able to visit my top choice in New York. I ended up having a couple of college swim coaches and their teams set up Skype videos to do their recruiting. It was different, but it is what it is,” he said.
Noteworthy for the senior-athlete, Pike will very likely be the first swimmer not only from Clinton High but also within all of Sampson County to earn a college scholarship for the sport of swimming.
In terms of how he’s dealing with time away from school in general, Pike admits it’s quite difficult.
“It is difficult to know that my senior year has possibly ended without even knowing it. I wasn’t ready for it to be over,” he said. “I didn’t get the chance to tell some of my favorite teachers like Mrs. Reeves, Mrs. Dirks, Coach Johnson, and Coach Spell just how much they’ve helped me grow. It is also hard not seeing my friends and teammates on a daily basis. I do get to see some of my classmates by google hangouts, but it’s not the same.”
“I mean it didn’t really hit until being told we are out until May 15 and possibly the rest of the year. It’s sad knowing there might be no senior nights, senior prom, senior dinner, and graduation. It’s just unfair,” he said. “The hardest part is knowing we seniors will never get the chance to have some of the experiences others have had. The unknown if we get to walk across the stage, attend our senior prom, or even say goodbye is really tough.”
During his time at Clinton, Pike was a member of the Dark Horses men’s soccer and men’s tennis state championship teams. As he alluded to his swim recruitment, he is also a member of the Clinton Swim team. Though that’s not a sport that sees a ton of recognition, it’s clear that the pool is Pike’s biggest passion and is an area that he clearly excels in. Some of his accomplishments as a 3-year swimmer for the Dark Horses include being All-County and All-Conference as well as second highest point earner. Outside of swimming for Clinton, Pike is also a member of the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary, where he is a TAC Titan Senior Champ.
Unfortunately, that facility is also experiencing disruptions due to COVID-19.
“I am usually gone six out of seven days swimming at the Triangle Aquatic Center for two to three hours a day, so at first it was nice to be out of school and to spend time with my family. Now, it’s all cancelled and it’s hard not being in the water daily and even harder adjusting to not smelling the chlorine as I would walk into swim daily.”
Thanks to the day and age of technology, resources are available for some sort of normalcy to exist while schools are out of session. Pike admits that while not able to meet in person, it’s nice to be able to have digital meetups.
“I do miss the daily interactions but I am glad some of my teachers are keeping in touch. Like Mrs. Reeves and Mrs. Jauregui are using google hangouts and it gets some sort of normalcy. No matter what, we have to keep learning.”
In addition to being passionate about his time in the pool, Pike also invested right much time involved with the Boy’s Scouts. For seven years, he has participated in the program and in 2018 he earned the rank of Eagle Scout, which is the highest achievement/rank attainable in the BSA program. He also earned the 50-mile sailing award. When swimming and scouts isn’t eating up his time, Pike also volunteers at the local elementary schools.
With having to have well-rounded structure and balance in his life, there were numerous individuals Pike wanted to give credit to for helping mold him into who he is today.
“I would like to give a shout-out and say ‘thank you’ to my mom for always being there for me, my little brother for being my biggest supporter no matter what, and to my dad for being such a great dad.”
“To my NayNay and Papa Terry for being the best grandparents they can be.”
“I want to give a shout to Coach Spell for being a fantastic coach each and every year and to Coach Mitchell for being not only a great coach but a great person to come and talk to. To the 2018 2A soccer championship team, we set the bar for younger generations to achieve, and also to the 2019 2A tennis championship team. It took hard work but we did it. To everyone that supported me, I want to say ‘thank you for the love and support through it all,’” Pike reflected.
In conclusion of his time at Clinton High School, Pike embraces his place in the Class of 2020, no matter what that may look like amidst much uncertainty.
“Clinton is what you make of it,” he said. “You have to go after what you want, even when facing negativity, and do what is best for your future. The Class of 2020 has been faced with many challenges and we have overcome losing friends, hurricanes, tornadoes, and now we will get through COVID-19. We are ready for whatever the world throws at us.”
“We got this!” Pike concluded.
