There haven’t been too many roses that appeared above the thorns of COVID-19, but it was nice to read this week about some kids who took full advantage of their personal situation instead of whining and complaining about the bad deal they were dealt.

With the spring track and field season cancelled for area athletes, a number of them decided that instead of coasting through the unexpected offseason, they would increase the training efforts and double down on the personal expectations they had for themselves and their teammates.

Knoch High’s Mike Formica didn’t win the WPIAL AA Cross Championship because he became a couch potato. His dedication to his training and his desire to be his best won him this race and will most likely lead him to a very successful future well beyond sports.

The same could be said for the unbelievable duo of Butler High runners CJ Singleton and Sage Vavro. Vavro would be grabbing huge headlines for his running prowess any other year. He suffered no setbacks from COVID-19, but he happens to be running cross country at the same time as Singleton. Vavro’s times are outstanding and good enough to beat almost everyone else, but usually Singleton isn’t part of the group “everyone else.”

Singleton won the WPIAL championship on Friday, completing an undefeated season. Vavro was the closest runner behind him, taking second in a field of 210 runners and Seneca Valley’s Noah Peterson was third. Each of the runners had to overcome slipping and falling due to the course conditions, but Singleton was still just nine seconds off the course record.

No, these three athletes didn’t sit around watching television reruns while their sport was shut down.

But our favorite story on a local teenager this week spoke glowingly about a humble young lady, Nikki Williams, of Seneca Valley.

This story had nothing to do with sports and a lot to do with COVID-19. Miss Williams was working a part-time job when the virus caused so many people to lose jobs due to furloughs and shutdowns. After her employer was forced to shut the doors, Williams continued to get a paycheck because of the pandemic.

She didn’t feel she had earned or deserved this pay, so she donated it to the local food banks. She could have bought clothes, a new phone or even saved for college, but instead did the selfless thing and helped those who can’t help themselves.

Stories like this make the ugly stories we cover much easier to handle. Stories like this show just how much hope there is in the world for a brighter future. Thanks to each of you young people for reminding us how much better things can be if we apply ourselves to betterment of ourselves and our community.

— RV