Hopping on his bike, Dominik Ball, freshman at Palatine High School makes his way down to the football fields. He passes through a COVID-19 checkpoint, and meets part of his teammates on the field for practice. Fitting right in with the seniors and juniors that make up the varsity team, he jokes around with the wide receivers while waiting in line as he prepares himself for drills. 

         This is the new reality Ball has to go through in the midst of the COVID pandemic. As a freshman, he had been moved up to play with the varsity team because of his skill and speed from playing PAFA football in his elementary school years. 

“ I wasn’t really nervous or anything,” said Ball, “the guys on the team are really cool so it’s not scary for me.” 

         Now that COVID-19 cases have been on the rise and the winter weather is approaching, football and all other fall athletic camps are beginning to end, causing many of the athletes that normally have seasons to be stuck at home. 

         Ball is an exceptional athlete in basketball, football, and track and field, and no longer has any seasons to commit to, as the confirmation for winter sports is up in the air. Stuck at home, he has resorted to training on his own. He enjoys spending time training at his family’s training facility, Ball 4 Training. 

        “My dad is a very experienced trainer, and I get to train at our gym whenever I want with him,” Ball said, “it’s a great way for me to stay in shape and get ahead of my competition while they are sitting at home.”

         Todd Ball, parent of Dominik Ball, has been a personal trainer for over 15 years. Todd Ball had dropped out of Boise State football in his freshman year of college and moved to Chicago. He soon became a personal trainer and from there has been working in different gyms since. “After awhile of jumping around gyms and working under other people, my wife and I decided to open our own space near our own home,” Todd Ball said, “I’ve been a personal trainer for 17 years and have so much experience with all sports and training, and now I am able to train and guide my son in his own athletic journey. He is extremely successful for the point he is at now and can do really well, but with the pandemic needs to stay on top of his game.”  

         With this experience, he has been able to train his son in his football, basketball, and track and field experiences, and has had much success in doing so. Now, in the air of COVID, Ball has had to work out a training program at the gym in order to continue to stay strong and have successful seasons in the future.