Geoffrey Allen
Staff Writer
Matt Olszewski
Senior Sports Writer
The College of Wooster athletic teams have officially begun phase one of practices, which has allowed athletes to spend time on the field, the track and the court together for the first time in months, which is something athletes have been looking forward to for a long time. Despite the restrictions that COVID-19 has imposed on sports throughout the world, certain areas look to be improving.
The College of Wooster has implemented many protocols for good reason, with the hope that they will be able to be less restrictive in the coming weeks and months as the athletics department moves into phases two and three. It is invaluable to maintain a positive outlook in the midst of these unique circumstances. Many athletes have thoughts about having practices again and the importance of maintaining motivation despite not having a normal season or preseason, among other things.
Eric Kraus ’22 described the uniqueness of these circumstances and how he is nevertheless optimistic. “Although student-athletes will not be getting the season they wanted, we are still fortunate enough to make the best out of a challenging situation. As a senior, the upcoming season may be my final opportunity to strap up and play football with my teammates. We have made lasting friendships during our time at Wooster and want to finish on a positive note. Sharing the field with this group of guys is by far the most exciting part of this experience.” He went on to express how nice it is to be back with his teammates in-person and how “it feels fantastic to have regularly scheduled practices again. Besides giving student-athletes a sense of structure, it allows us to connect with new first-year teammates that many of us have not been able to meet in-person. I think this is especially beneficial for new student-athletes, as it instills a sense of belonging within the Wooster community.” Football is a high-risk sport but is one of the several sports finding ways to stay close-knit and looking forward to phase two.
Members of the soccer team, another high risk sport, are appreciating the additional structure that is coming with phase one and are excited for next week when they will be able to practice in larger groups and with their coaches. “It feels good to be back with the team and to be able to have people to practice with rather than just on my own,” said Maya McDonald ’22, a member of the women’s soccer team, “it does give me a sense of structure because I now have a designated time that I work out and train whereas before I would just go whenever I was free.”
It is important to note that despite low-risk sports not having to worry as much about exposure to others, they still are required to follow the same guidelines and phases that Wooster has put in place. “Of course being with my team is so important to me, and having a more consistent schedule will make this semester just a little easier,” said Laura Haley ’21, member of the women’s tennis team. “Right now we’re focusing more on fitness until we can get back to some sort of normalcy.” That will begin next week when coaches will be able to be around athletes and other coaches at practice. Just like the tennis teams, the Wooster golf teams are also in the low-risk category. They have been enjoying being together and practicing again. “So far, the golf team has been practicing in blocked time periods at the golf course, and we can only go during those times,” said David Roney ’21. “They are three-hour blocks, and all the facilities are open only for us, so it is actually a really good opportunity to get specialized practice that is more difficult when there are other people around.”
Cross country is a peculiar case where, despite the cancellation of the season, athletes are able to train individually almost exactly as they did prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. However, there are still a few hurdles they face in addition to the absence of meets. “We are always in groups [of] less than ten and wear our masks when we are running on campus,” said Matt Prill ’23. Since the cancellation of in-person classes in March, Prill has felt that running at home was more than just training. “Running has been something consistent in my life since I was in seventh grade,” he said. He says running for him is “a great way to stay physically, as well as mentally, healthy.” The “desire to get better, the desire to be a better person, to fuel [his] motivation” has been a part of him on good and bad days. It is for this reason Prill now feels ecstatic to be back on campus while social distancing with his teammates. “We try to motivate each other to be the best we can, both as people and athletes,” Prill stated. But more importantly, Prill and other runners plan to continue to compete in virtual meets in what cross country Head Coach Dennis Rice calls “time tests,” where athletes are timed on their 8k and 5k runs and those times are compared to those of other schools in the NCAA.
Cross country runners are not the only ones who have chosen to use quarantine as an opportunity to run. Field hockey student-athlete Maggie Brown ’21 has expressed how running allowed her to build a routine while being unable to practice on campus. Brown shared that returning to Wooster brought on many obstacles such as doing “drills and keeping six feet [of] distance between each other.” Regardless, everything that she has been allowed to do, from seeing her friends to conditioning outside has been simply a “blessing.” Without a full fall season to finish her career, she sets her eyes on new goals such as running a half marathon by the end of 2021. Here is to hoping that she, as well as all other Wooster athletes, will be able to accomplish their goals this fall and beyond — despite the unique and unfortunate circumstances.