Athletics respond to pandemic
04/21/2020
Alumni Field, home of the Bluffton Beavers
athletics respond as beavers do
鈥攂y being resourceful
In the late 1920s, long-time coach and athletic director A.C. Burcky suggested the beaver as Bluffton鈥檚 mascot. His rationale, according to 鈥淒ancing with the Kobzar: Bluffton College and Mennonite Higher Education,鈥 was beavers are resourceful, don鈥檛 tire easily, accomplish more with less and work hard to make the world a better place.
One hundred years later, this is exactly what today鈥檚 Bluffton Beavers are doing despite their seasons ending early, classes moving online and the difficulties of being separated from their friends and teammates due to the coronavirus.
鈥淲ithout having much to compare to in this situation, I believe the team is responding well,鈥 said Aaron Krepps, head football coach. 鈥淭hey would much rather be on campus, but we 鈥榓djust to and overcome adverse situations鈥 just as the Beaver Pledge tells us.鈥
Thankful for technology
Adjusting from an athletics standpoint means coaches are now hosting virtual team meetings via Zoom and other online communication platforms and increasing the number of texts and group chats among players.
鈥淥f course they are upset that they can鈥檛 show the conference just how talented they are, but they understand that this is out of their control, and they have chosen to instead focus on what they can control鈥攖heir training and academics. This excites me for next year.鈥
鈥淭echnology, cell phones, FaceTime, and Zoom have been awesome,鈥 said Chad Shutler, head women鈥檚 basketball coach. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 imagine how we would have navigated something of this magnitude 20 years ago.鈥
Team workouts are going out by email and vary by season and sport. Student-athletes in cross country and golf are able to maintain a semblance of normalcy in their training at home but challenges remain.
鈥淕etting out the door on your own is a lot harder than it is for a team practice, but our men and women have done a phenomenal job of staying positive and motivated despite their circumstances,鈥 said Logan Wells, head cross country coach. 鈥淭o put in the work they are without an immediate race or competition on the horizon takes drive and determination. They have been an inspiration to me.鈥
Many field athletes as well as golfers have sent videos to their coaches for tips on technique. Golf is also concentrating on a sometimes-neglected aspect of the game.
鈥淒uring this time, we are focusing on the mental aspect of golf,鈥 said Craig. 鈥淲e have looked at various articles and viewed different TED talks and videos to get better between our ears.鈥
Teams connect in new ways
Picking up a phone, as opposed to email or text, is becoming more commonplace as well.
鈥淭he topic of our communication varies from academics to basketball to simply the general topic of how they and their families are doing,鈥 said Guy Neal, head men鈥檚 basketball coach.
Different approaches are being taken to promote team bonding as well. For example, men鈥檚 soccer has hosted team trivia nights, volleyball made a team 鈥減epper鈥 video and women鈥檚 soccer completed silly video challenges such as toilet paper juggling.
鈥淟ast week, part of the team 鈥榓rrived鈥 to the Zoom meeting in their prom dresses,鈥 said Amanda DeMoine, head softball coach. 鈥淭his team continues to have a lot of fun together, and we have a couple of videos in the works right now.鈥
For Bluffton student-athletes, academics remain a priority. Coaches typically have students turn in grade and attendance checks when on campus. While online instruction does not perfectly replace the on-campus academic experience, professors and coaches are working together to do their best with the resources available.
鈥淚 have been in contact with several professors who are trying really hard to accommodate our students鈥 new situations,鈥 said Shutler. 鈥淭hey are extending deadlines and bending over backward to work with not just our athletes but our students as a whole. I continue to be impressed by their sincere caring and commitment to our community.鈥
Recruiting from a computer
Coaches are also adapting to a new way of recruiting.
鈥淣inety percent of what I normally would be doing, I can鈥檛 do anymore,鈥 explained James Grandey, head baseball coach. 鈥淩ight now, we are working on the last few recruits for 2020, and we are beginning to lay the foundation with the 2021 class.鈥
Instead of attending games and meeting in person, coaches are connecting more directly with high school coaches electronically to get names of potential recruits. Admissions counselors have also transitioned to providing virtual tours to prospective students.
鈥淧erhaps one benefit of high school students being encouraged to social distance and stay at home is there are fewer conflicts in their lives which allows potential recruits to sign up for virtual visits,鈥 said Steve Yarnell, head volleyball coach.
鈥淶oom visits do not replace the impact of an in-person visit, but it is a great option for the situation we are in,鈥 added Krepps. 鈥淩ecruits and their families have provided positive feedback on our virtual visits.鈥
Final thoughts
鈥淭his situation has taught me to have a lot more trust in my players. I am sending them workouts and have to rely on them to follow through and keep their end up to progress as we continue our journey to progress as a team,鈥 said Harry Kirwan, interim head men鈥檚 soccer coach. 鈥淲e have a mutual understanding and the guys are responding excellently.鈥
鈥淚t is easy to be a happy and good person when things are going well, but you develop your character when times aren鈥檛 so good,鈥 said Kevin Gregory, head women鈥檚 soccer coach. 鈥淚 have been extremely proud of our group鈥攚ith how they鈥檝e handled themselves and looked after each other. We have a team full of very special people.鈥
鈥淥ur student-athletes have responded with such maturity and understanding that it has even taken me by surprise,鈥 said Kaylea Jachno, head track and field coach. 鈥淥f course they are upset that they can鈥檛 show the conference just how talented they are, but they understand that this is out of their control, and they have chosen to instead focus on what they can control鈥攖heir training and academics. This excites me for next year.鈥