ORLEANS – Although hundreds of students are enrolled at Cape Cod Regional Technical High School, Anna Bartolomey holds the distinction of being the school’s only student-athlete.

Well, for this season anyway.

Cape Tech opted out of interscholastic sports for both the fall and winter seasons due to upticks in COVID-19 cases, however, Bartolomey, a junior at the school, was given permission to compete for the Cape Cod Furies, a co-op hockey team comprised of girls from Cape Tech, Monomoy and Nauset Regional High Schools.

“I love representing my school even though I’m the only one doing athletics,” Bartolomey said after the Furies’ 0-0 tie against Nantucket on Saturday at Charles Moore Arena in Orleans. “It’s just a good opportunity to show my school that we have someone to represent. I have a lot of support from the school and the team.”

Bartolomey said she first started skating when she was 3 years old and that she tried other sports throughout her youth, though none of them compared to hockey.

“I did other sports but I quit all of them so I could stick with hockey,” she said. “It’s my stress reliever. It’s my life.”

The East Dennis resident played for the Furies sparingly as a freshman and then full time as a sophomore, serving as Cape Tech’s only representative on the team last year, too.

Cape Tech athletic director Alan Harrison said in an email to The Chronicle that Bartolomey “was allowed to participate as a team member after consulting with administration and the nurse’s office.”

According to Furies coach, Addie Weeks, Bartolomey’s impact on the team extends beyond X’s and O’s.

“She’s been playing since she was a kid, so she’s got the skills,” Weeks said. “She’s a good locker room person, too. She’s so good with everyone—she gets along with everyone, has a positive energy, takes feedback really well. You’d never know she’s the only one from her school because she can jump in with any group and it’s really cool to see.”

As much as Bartolomey has enjoyed being a part of the team, there are challenges associated with being a school’s only student-athlete. For starters, on game days, Bartolomey doesn’t get to bump into her teammates in the hallways between classes or sit with them at lunch to discuss that day’s game plan.

And then there’s getting to and from practices and games without the luxury of carpooling with classmates.

“It’s hard being the only one from Tech with the ride situation and going back and forth,” she said.

It’s been a challenge juggling schoolwork and hockey for Bartolomey, who said she’s been attending school in-person for the entire year. As difficult as the balancing act can be, Bartolomey said she feels grateful to have a chance to be on the ice playing forward for the Furies given the fact her school isn’t offering sports this season.

Bartolomey also noted her Cape Tech classmates have been supportive of her and they haven’t acted jealous about her situation, adding that they’re eager to return to action, hopefully during the Fall II season or in the spring.

“A lot of them are missing their athletics and they’re sad they haven’t started yet, but they’re also happy that I’m doing well and I’m representing the school,” she said.

Considering high school students have been presented with so many obstacles and new challenges throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Bartolomey is thrilled to stay involved in the activity she enjoys the most.

“I just love playing hockey and getting closer with everybody,” she said. “It’s a good sport to get close with friends and a great way to start a new year.”

Email Brad Joyal at brad@capecodchronicle.com