OCU student athletes are doing their best to face the COVID-19 pandemic head-on.
Health and safety orders due to COVID-19 have heavily disrupted the athletic seasons of academic institutions throughout the country, and OCU is no exception. OCU student-athletes were sent home in the middle of the spring semester portion of the 2019-2020 season with no true knowledge of what was yet to come. Then, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics released a statement Mar. 16, 2020, canceling the entirety of its spring 2020 sports season due to COVID-19 concerns.
Israel Andres Villa, economics senior and wrestler, said before the season was canceled, he initially looked forward to what he thought was going to be a bit more recovery time after undergoing shoulder surgery.
“I was kind of excited, actually,” Villa said. “I was like, ‘cool, I get a couple extra weeks off, and then we’ll get back to it,’ or whatever. But then a couple weeks turned into eight weeks, which turned into 12 weeks, and then all of a sudden it’s time to have classes scheduled for the semester, and I was like, ‘oh, things are a little bit different now.’”
Villa said he then hoped the situation would start to get better by December; he said he didn’t imagine having the same difficulties a year later.
Caleb Evans, political science senior and baseball pitcher, said he and his team were headed to a game in Texas when they noticed the situation was getting more and more severe.
Evans said looking back, the situation’s continued severity and escalation is not that surprising.
“In Oklahoma, we’ve been pretty lax. Governor Stitt hasn’t issued a mask mandate or anything,” Evans said. “Our culture and things kind of attribute to us being less restrictive, and I think this is a situation that probably required more restriction. So, I kind of saw this coming pretty early.”
The NAIA had already announced the postponement of most fall 2020 championships to spring 2021 by the time the OCU fall 2020 semester began. OCU Athletics postponed the university’s 2020-21 season in a Sept. 20, 2020 announcement. They then delayed the starting date of 2020-21 athletic competitions and practices to Jan. 15, 2021.
Villa said learning to wrestle while following COVID-19 protocols was a major learning adjustment.
“Trying to wrestle while standing six feet away from everyone is the strangest thing,” Villa said. “Trying to wrestle with a mask on is also strange. I never thought I would have to do that. I never thought I would have to cover my mouth before I went out and tried to tackle somebody to the ground. It’s hard to wrestle like that.”
Villa said the lack of team-oriented athletic routine made self-motivation difficult.
“It’s hard to get myself up to go out running in the mornings on my own,” Villa said. “It’s a lot easier when you have teammates right there who normally do those things with you. You just have to push yourself when no one else is looking, and you have to get yourself up and work for it, which is hard, because sometimes it doesn’t seem like there’s anything to work for right now.”
Villa said he values his sport a lot more now due to his experience as a student athlete during the pandemic. He said he will never take wrestling for granted after this experience.
Villa said future college athletes should stay on the course.
“Eventually, things will be normal, or we’ll find a new normal,” Villa said. “Maybe competitions won’t be the same, but it will be something, and you should take advantage of that. Don’t be afraid to adapt, change, and do stuff other people will call you crazy for.”
Evans said he views his current situation as a balancing act.
“You have to be adept to change. You can’t get too comfortable in any situation right now, and that’s the case for everyone. Things are changing on a dime every day. I’ve just had to let go of needing a lot of structure and am learning to roll with punches and adapt and overcome,” Evans said.
Evans said baseball practices with COVID-19 regulations have been limiting to the team’s chemistry, and protocols like sanitizing equipment after use have made the environment very different from previous years.
“In baseball, we usually have access to the clubhouse and locker room, which plays a big role in basic chemistry and team building,” Evans said. “Now, we’re limited to a certain number of people who can even be in there at one time. I think the limit is 10 people, and on a 32-man team, that really limits team chemistry.”
Evans said he now has a deeper appreciation for his sport.
“It’s one of those situations where you’re pulled off the field, like we were back in March, and all you want to do is just get back out there and play,” Evans said.
Evans said he has an immense amount of respect for all students navigating their way through the pandemic.
“I’ve talked to my teammates about how I can’t even imagine being an acting major or dance major and trying to get all your stuff on film to send out,” Evans said. “I can’t even imagine what it’s like to miss out on an entire year of performances. We hear you, and we feel you. We’re right there with you, and we empathize with you. We’re not all that different in this situation, you know? We’re praying for you guys, and we hope you’re praying for us, too. We’re all in this together.”
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