CALVIN SPORTS
A SEASON UNLIKE ANY OTHER BY JEFF FEBUS ’92
From the first week of March to the end of May, the Calvin athletics season was a nonstop sprint. Twenty of Calvin’s 22 varsity sports teams as well as its two American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) hockey teams competed. Why the compressed schedule? COVID-19 restrictions in fall and winter moved competition into spring. “What our athletics department achieved was historic. Credit should go to everyone involved, from support staff to coaches and student-athletes,” said Jim Timmer, Calvin’s director of athletics. Student-athletes underwent COVID-19 rapid testing three times a week to meet NCAA, state, and local COVID-19 protocols. Coaches and administrators underwent rapid-testing training and rotated throughout the season as test administrators. “I can’t say enough about the coaches and administrators who volunteered as on-campus testing officials,” said Timmer. “Their hard work allowed hundreds of student-athletes the opportunity to compete and have meaningful seasons.” And the seasons were indeed meaningful.
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