As sporting events around the globe got cancelled, attending local matches and play became a somewhat privileged experience.
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While events like the February's Launceston International and Australian badminton championships ran without a hitch, several local sporting seasons were decimated and given the flick as concerns grew and numbers rose.
But thanks to the restrictions and guidelines in place, play resumed to a new normal in July with the need for sport in people's lives growing.
As a part of this, I was lucky enough to still attend some pretty impressive events within our island state despite the ongoing pandemic - with six experiences of local, national and international standard standing out along the way.
ELSEWHERE IN SPORT
Launceston International: February 3 to 9
As a confessed tennis nuffie, the Launceston International is always a cracking time of year for me.
Coming off the back of the Hobart International, Australian Open and the Burnie International, it rounds out the summer of Tasmanian tennis and unfortunately it's a shame it won't be happening this season.
But featuring the likes of Australian Open doubles runner-up Max Purcell, dashing left-hander Alex Bolt and in-form Tasmanian hope Harry Bourchier, the tournament that was won by 30-year-old Egyptian Mohamed Safwat set the tone early for what looked like a brilliant 2020 year.
We now know that wasn't the case thanks to our buddy COVID-19 but when the Australian summer of tennis returns to its full fleet, the Launceston Regional Tennis Centre should certainly retain its major drawcard.
National badminton titles: February 22 to 29
A slight conflict of interest considering I participated in these championships but Tasmania hosting a national championship in 2020 proved to be a big deal some 10 months later.
Originally booked in to host both the under-18 and under-13 hockey championships as well as the Tasmanian fixtures of the HockeyOne league and Australian Netball League - national titles and rosters in the state became a rare sight.
So to see Australia's best, including Olympians and hopefuls for Tokyo 2021 from what is (surprisingly for some) the second most-played sport on the planet, was a godsend in 2020.
Netball's Northern derby: August 28
Although I didn't cover too much netball throughout the TNL season, and as a result, the grand final isn't listed here, the Northern derby is always a worthy highlight.
Piling into the Silverdome of a Friday night, Cavaliers and Northern Hawks fans made the most of the top-of-the-table showdown which proved to eventually be the grand final clash.
At least one of the Northern sides have featured on grand final day since 2015 and are the league's benchmark - making for quality viewing at all times.
On this occasion the Hawks got the win, pulling away to a 76-54 margin to defeat the Cavaliers for the second time of the season and extend their unbeaten streak, which remained intact all season.
Alternating premiership victories for the past three seasons, the Northern Hawks and Cavaliers rivalry is spearheading the state's netball competition and arguably, Tasmanian sport as a whole.
NTFA grand final: September 26
Reporting on the NTFA grand final from the front seat of my Subaru Forester parked around the Deloraine Oval is something that I certainly didn't think I'd be doing in 2020, but that's the way it's gone.
Announced as the hosts of the NTFA Shield grand final following the cancellation of the regular season, the home side broke through with a 38-point victory over minor premiers Rocherlea to put some rain on several droughts plaguing the club.
Although an unofficial title that won't officially be on the association's records, Deloraine won their first senior football flag since 1979 in the club's 126th year of operation in front of a home crowd that included local legend Terry Roles, who is battling motor neurone disease.
A moment that I'll truly never forget is the side calling Roles, who was bound to a motorised wheelchair, onto the ground to celebrate the victory - much to the delight of those in attendance.
In another broken drought, Kangaroos coach Lochy Dornauf snapped an 11-game streak of grand final losses, picking up his maiden win across all forms of football.
The Northern Hawks and Cavaliers rivalry is spearheading the state's netball competition and arguably, Tasmanian sport as a whole.
TSL grand final: October 17
I was lucky enough to double-dip, attending the State League grand final just weeks later at UTAS Stadium which saw 3000 people in attendance - becoming the most-attended TSL game of the season.
And what a game it was, North Launceston and Launceston putting everything out there as North shot for four in a row and the Blues aimed for a perfect day following victories in the development league and TSLW- added to by the STJFL under-18s a day later.
Inevitably it was Mitch Thorp's Windsor Park crew who got the job done in the fiery, see-sawing encounter which saw one of the better all-in brawls in recent memory - not that I'm condoning any of that activity, but it was fantastic viewing.
Describing the contest as the most intense game he's ever played in, Thorp urged Tasmanian football's doubters to sit down and grab a copy of the all-Northern final.
I'm not a doubter, but I don't mind if I do.
Big Bash League: December 15-16
My BBL experience wasn't that worthy of shouting off the mountains about but any time we have players of an international standard in Launceston, you can't complain.
Missing out on the Hurricanes and Strikers clash on December 15, I was assigned the Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Stars match the following day.
Hours later, the match was rained out, but the brief view I got of players like Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Colin Munro and one ball, one wicket man Jhye Richardson, satisfied the cricket-mad child within me.
Seeing Munro rock back and effortlessly smack several balls into the UTAS function centre windows, threatening to shatter through the glass of the room that houses North Launceston's honour boards, was superb and some of the cleanest hitting the stadium will ever see.