falcon athletics
The year the crowds went
1 year, 9 months, 19 days. That works out to 658 days. That’s how much time elapsed between Nov. 16, 2019, and Sept. 4, 2021. November 16 was the last time the UW-River Falls football team took the field – a victory over UW-Platteville at Ramer Field on Senior Day 2019. September 4 marked their return to intercollegiate play, just under two years from their last game. Women’s soccer, volleyball and the men’s and women’s cross country teams all had similar hiatuses. Winter sports had abbreviated seasons, spring teams – many of whom had the rug pulled out from under their seasons in 2020 – competed in front of virtually empty stands. The 2020-21 athletic season was unlike any in school history.
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Cancelled games and seasons, masked competitors and spectator bans all combined to create an unusually quiet year in the Athletic Department. Or so it seemed. Despite all the disruptions, most Falcon student-athletes and coaches spent the year working as hard as ever. Teams adapted to COVID-19 restrictions. They worked out in small pods and were forced to spread out their strength and conditioning workouts, meaning student-athletes started sessions early in the morning and timeslots continued all day. Many headed outside, even in poor weather, so that social distancing could more easily be achieved. Most had to learn how to manage working out and staying in shape, despite virtual settings and a lack of organized competition. All had to deal with the
“will we, won’t we?” questions that plagued the entire year. “Not having a season last year was very difficult in a lot of ways. It was obviously frustrating because we wanted to play but the pandemic also hindered our ability just to see each other,” said Andy Metcalf, a senior from La Crosse who plays linebacker for the Falcon football team. Athletes weren’t the only ones whose routines were disrupted. Coaches were forced to pivot in ways they hadn’t anticipated. Schedules they spent hours developing were tossed out the window, familiar practice plans were scrapped and replaced with new ones that were constantly being adjusted to adapt to ever evolving COVID-19 restrictions. Recruiting
