Time out

Photo by John Atashian

COVID-19 sidelines the fall sports season

By Kate Callahan ’14

Whether executing flips off the end of a diving board, making passes that lead to game-winning goals, or slamdunking, Central’s studentathletes arrive on campus each year to fulfill life-long passions at a Division I university.

“They put their blood, sweat, and tears into this,” says interim Athletics Director Thomas Pincince.

As of mid-March, when the coronavirus pandemic hit, CCSU’s student-athletes have the shared experience of participating in a program that suspended competitive play.

“For a lot of our student athletes it’s their lifelong dream to get to this point. When you have that taken away from you, it’s very emotional,” relays Pincince.

Central was one of the first schools to halt play. “We had a meeting with our studentathletes about what we were doing,” recalls Pincince.

“It was one of the hardest discussions we’ve ever had with them.”

While leadership in the Athletics Department focused on the health and safety of its students and staff, morale among the student-athletes was suffering.

“They were upset and angry,” says Pincince. “In those moments they couldn’t see the big picture which is completely understandable.”

Pincince, who has a background in Communication, made sure that all of Central’s student athletes and coaches heard the news from him. Technology, like the WebEx platform, plays a huge role now in how the department informs and supports its members.

“Once we knew, back in March, that campus was going to shut down, our concern became how are we going to help our student-athletes get home,” says Pincince.

With several international student-athletes, logistics became a challenge.

“Our local student athletes packed a bag and went home not knowing that they wouldn’t be back for a very long time. We tried to make sure that we were dealing with our emotions and the mental side of things,” says Pincince, “as well as a place for them to stay tonight.”

Eight months later

CCSU has been navigating the pandemic and its impact for eight months now. The Northeast Conference has since cancelled all competition until late November, and its Council of Presidents will continue to monitor viral trends before it makes a call about spring sports.

This fall, CCSU Athletics phased in practices and training sessions following NCAA Division 1 regulations and NEC protocols, including required facemasks; strict scheduling to reduce interaction between teams; limits on how many athletes can be in a training room; and no whistles for coaches, among many others.

“While we aren’t playing games,” says Pincince, “I think the student-athletes are happy to be with their teammates, practicing and being out on the field. There are some schools that are not allowed to do that.”

As the Athletics Department looks ahead to the winter and spring sports seasons, continued coronavirus testing will determine whether CCSU can resume play. Throughout the fall semester, five to 10 percent of student athletes were tested for COVID-19 every week to help identify any emerging transmission trends.

“We’re planning to play the winter sports, which for us are basketball, women’s swimming and diving, and possibly some indoor track and field,” Pincince says.

Weekly departmental talks about what the spring will look like include the possibility of playing fall sports in addition to spring sports. It’s not the usual course of events, but plans are taking into account something less tangible but just as important as points on a scoreboard.

Pincince notes, “Our student-athletes are able to play and compete in a safe environment and have as much of their student-athlete experience as possible. But the health and safety of our student body is priority number one.”