COVID-19 has hit the world hard and has affected every aspect of life; it has even hit us right here on campus. When we came back from summer break we knew that things would be different. One of the big questions was whether athletics would take place or not. The fall sports got through their season with a few hiccups here and there. But the next obstacle was Thanksgiving break, as the break approached we heard the news that all sports would be canceled until December 27th.
This news was met with a lot of disappointed reactions from coaches and athletes alike. When talking with several athletes about how this decision affected them, many were disappointed that they were not able to compete in the sports they really love. Many have mentioned missing interacting with teammates on the court and on the field. Many first-year athletes were excited to begin their college careers, but now they are anxious to start their seasons.
The coaches were some of the first to learn of the news and they were highly disappointed, but they understood the risk coming into the year. Living in uncertain times such as these the coaches knew what they were up against. There was always a high possibility that the seasons would be canceled and all the coaches cited that Thanksgiving break would be the challenge. Even though this is a disappointment to the coaches they all understand that the safety of the community comes first and the school made the right call. We were lucky to have sports at all because UW-L still doesn’t know if they will be having a winter sports season, so Viterbo was fortunate to be competing at all this semester.
This decision did not hit any players harder than the seniors. The last year that they may be playing their sports the season was cut. Many of the seniors are hurt by the decision to cancel the season. Many of these seniors are just hoping something will change to allow them to join their teams again. Again, say they understand that this was a precaution that needed to be taken in order to keep the community safe.
