3 minute read
Strength in Adversity
Luke is a senior wide receiver on the football team majoring in business and finance. He was named one of the team captains in 2017.
Ida is a senior on the cross country and track and field teams pursuing a master’s in project management after graduating from the University of Mary in 2020 with a dual degree in engineering science and civil engineering. She was University of Mary Athlete of the Year in 2020.
Collegiate athletics hit the pause button in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), of which the University of Mary is a member, resumed competition in January 2021. But the Marauders didn’t take the fall off. Hear from two of our scholar-athletes, Ida Narbuvoll and Luke Little, about how they stayed busy this fall.
Tell me about the fall. Your team couldn’t compete due to the pandemic — what were you up to? What kept you motivated?
Ida: We still had a training schedule and plan, which made things feel normal. For me, I don’t necessarily need to compete every weekend to be motivated. I think training itself is motivating. At practice, we push each other to get better as teammates. Even though we couldn’t race, I thought it was a really fun fall with training. We did some inner-squad meets, which mimics racing, and we got to see what shape we were in and race against our teammates. We made the best out of it. I was pretty happy just being able to practice.
Luke: All of us being in everything together made a big difference. Having that shared comradery with everyone on the team really allowed us to fight through it. We were still able to practice, lift, and workout as a team. This provided a sense of normalcy in a season that was so different from ever before.
— Luke Little
Ida competing in an indoor race in 2019.
Is your team excited to get back to competition?
Ida: Absolutely. We’ve all been waiting for almost a year to compete, and indoor season started with our first meet in January. We were very, very excited to finally be able to compete again.
Luke: This spring we will do some joint practices against other teams. I’d compare the excitement on the team to putting a Mento in a Coke bottle and putting the cap on it. We’re all excited and ready to go. It’s been so long since we’ve been on the field playing someone other than each other. We’re all ready to go, ready to make it happen.
What has been your biggest takeaway from it all?
Ida: Every opportunity you get to compete is an opportunity you need to take advantage of. We were at nationals, and they sent us home the day before the meet started. That really made me realize that every chance you get to do your best, that’s the day to do your best and leave it all out there. It definitely made me really value all the opportunities I’ve had in the past and all the ones I’ll have in the future. I’m very excited to race again when I am eligible in the outdoor track season.
Luke: It’s a classic saying, but when life gets you down, it’s about how you are able to pick yourself up and then pick your teammates up. We’re all there for each other.
What do you want to say to the people who support the Marauders Armada and athletic scholarships?
Ida: It’s an extremely important aspect of being a scholar-athlete. There are many choices that are made as a scholar-athlete, and many of them are financial. You spend a lot of time working on your sport trying to be the best athlete you can be. Having a scholarship allows you to show up rested for practice because you didn’t have to work a double shift the night before to afford school. It’s extremely valuable and allows us to compete and get our degree.
Luke: I couldn’t thank them enough. They’ve allowed me to fulfill my dream of playing football at the next level as well as get an amazing education. It’s changed my future and set me up for a great career. I couldn’t say enough about how much it means to me, and I know all the other guys on my team feel the exact same way.
