The streets were quiet, when there weren’t sirens. The stores were empty, if they weren’t shuttered. Schools were bored. Gyms and bars wept. Home was all one had.
It was March 2020. You remember. You will never forget.
In the span of three days, Kieran McArdle’s two careers went on hiatus. First, the National Lacrosse League suspended its season. Then, P.S. 48 in Washington Heights locked its doors. The New York Riptide forward and physical education teacher couldn’t know when either job would return.
He was frustrated and fatigued, spending most days tiptoeing around his apartment as his then-fiancée, Alyssa — their Oct. 2020 wedding was postponed — worked from home. Needing an escape, McArdle began training in case COVID-19 retreated and lacrosse season resumed. He began at a nearby handball court hugging the Midtown Tunnel.