Buckley finds proper perspective on lost title defense
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HUNTINGDON -- In a sport like swimming, seconds are of the utmost importance when it comes to finishing in second or first place.
And yet, does it not seem appropriate that in a matter of seconds, Nick Buckley gained perspective as a high school athlete that it takes some older people much longer to obtain.
"I was crushed, not only for myself but also for the team, and at the time, I had a lot of regret," said the senior swimmer from Huntingdon, who was at states to defend his 50-yard freestyle title from a year ago in the Class 2A championships when the PIAA postponed the event.
Buckley, along with teammates Colby Grubb, Jaymen Edwards, Andrew Cunningham, Jake Tanner and Isaac Cummings, were at Bucknell University on Friday, March 13, to compete for a gold medal. But it was also the same day the coronavirus pandemic hit the ground running in the state, changing everyday life for everybody.
"With some time to think about it, I realized that there are bigger things in life than swimming and no one could have seen this coming," Buckley said. "All I can do is accept the decision and work to control the controllables in my life."
Even though the PIAA delayed its decision for several weeks before canceling all spring sports, and the rest of the basketball and swimming postseason events, Buckley had an eerie feeling his high school swimming career was over.
"I was pretty sure the day that it was postponed that it was very likely to get canceled just because of the severity of the virus, and because of the nature of how our training for swimming works," Buckley said.
Because of restrictions placed on teachers and coaches by the PIAA, Huntingdon coach Melanie Varner couldn't even tell her team in person the news. It was done via "Rewind" messaging.
"This was probably the hardest thing I've had to talk to the kids about, especially the seniors," she said. "I am proud of how they handled it. Honestly, I wouldn't have expected anything else since they always stay so positive."
Buckley swam 21.22 in 2019 to capture gold, finishing ahead of Conner McBeth from Neshannock. But going into the 2020 event, McBeth was seeded ahead of Buckley, who was also competing in the 100 freestyle and two relays.
"After attending some camps over the summer with Conner, and getting to know each other a lot better, I think we were both excited for the matchup, but my main focus was most definitely to defend the title," Buckley said.
Not only did Buckley lose the chance to defend his title, he also lost a prom and a traditional graduation ceremony. Leaning on his family, dad Jeff, mom Mary Ann and his sister Madison, has mattered a lot.
"My mom is a teacher and my sister is a college student, so they have been experiencing many of the same things that I have," Nick said. "We work through our issues together to help each other adjust to the new circumstances. With my dad being the chief of police in town, he helps us understand what we can do for the health and safety of those in the community around us."
As far as the future goes for Buckley, he has not picked a college yet.
"I actually applied to the United States Air Force Academy, but I'm still waiting to hear back," he said.
Buckley also received the National Army ROTC Scholarship and is weighing his options, but he definitely wants to swim at the collegiate level as he tries to put this past month's events behind him.
"I told them that life is full of disappointments, and it's how they handle those disappointments that will help define them," Varner said of Buckley and his teammates.
"It was difficult to hear that some of these events (prom, graduation) were taken away from me and my classmates, and that I didn't get a chance to defend my title, but I also realize that keeping people healthy is a lot more important than anything that I've lost. I'm just blessed that my friends and family are healthy," he said.