While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the entire world, many of us have experienced upheaval in our lives and are finding ways to adapt to a new – hopefully brief – reality and way of life. Among those of us affected are collegiate athletes. Not only have sporting events and large tournaments like March Madness been canceled, but many student athletes are finding their new normal involves learning remotely, training away from teammates and coaches, and above all else – staying healthy.
The Foundation for Global Sports Development and Sidewinder Films reached out to a group of collegiate athletes and asked them to write about their experiences with COVID-19 so far and offer encouragement to their peers and younger student athletes who may be facing similar struggles. Some athletes have chosen to remain anonymous.
“Challenge is growth”. These were the words our assistant coach, Jay, recited to us from the first day we met him to the day we found out our season was over. The first time I heard those three words, I let them brush over me without taking in their full meaning. But, as the season progressed and Jay repeated those words to our team almost every practice, I began to reflect on what they meant for me.
While repeating those three words to our collegiate team, Jay said in order to extract value from quotes and sayings, we must take the time to think about what those words mean and how they relate to our individual “stories”. Each of us have a story that is written in a book of finite empty pages. Every athlete, coach, classmate, friend, and family member in our lives has a story that is still being written. Some chapters in our story are happy, some are sad, and some are full of challenges.
But, the most important lesson college athletics has taught me is that the next page in our story is our choice. Yes, some events are out of our control and shift our previously planned paths. However, it is our choice on how we react to the things happening around us to write a story that we will be proud of.
The easiest way to write a story that you will be proud of is to make sure that you are your own biggest fan. Of course, there will always be people, such as friends, family, and coaches, around you that love and support you. But, you must wholeheartedly believe in yourself and your ability to set goals and do what it takes to reach them.
After my freshman year in college, I wanted to quit gymnastics. I traveled 300 miles home from college to my home state, walked through the front door, and exhaled for what felt like the first time in nine months. My first year of college was brutal. I received less-than-satisfactory grades, grew apart from my friends at home, and barely competed for my team. I had lost my passion for learning and my passion for my sport. One night at dinner, I told my mom I had wanted to quit gymnastics, the sport I had dedicated blood, sweat, and tears to for 16 years. Her response: “Okay”. That’s it? I expected her to say “No, you don’t really want to quit” or at least ask “why”. But, it was my decision and she knew me well enough to know I actually did not want to quit. Instead, I had to get up, brush myself off from a tough freshman year, learn from my mistakes, prepare to go back to school, and do it again.
Since my freshman year, I’ve become much more disciplined in school and my training for gymnastics. I first learned how not to study (reading the textbook the night before an exam is not a good strategy) and then asked friends and teammates on their strategies. As far as gymnastics, it took until my senior year to rediscover my passion for my sport. For the two years in between my freshman and senior year, the support and positivity of my team kept me motivated. I am thankful that I did not give up on my sport, as my senior year was the most rewarding and joyous experience of my life. Had I given up on myself after one challenging year, I would not have had the chance to experience the success and happiness that I yearned for.
Right now, the next chapter and even the next page in each of our stories is uncertain. But, each of us have the opportunity to prepare ourselves for what is to come. Take this uncertain time as an opportunity to set goals, both short-term and long-term, and find the steps needed to achieve them. For my whole life, I’ve hated running but recently wrote down a date to run a 5K (I even ordered running shoes so I really have no excuses). I set this goal and now it is my responsibility to work towards it. No matter how big or small the goal, cheer yourself on along the way.
During this uncertain time, stay connected with friends and family. Tell them about your goals and successes and failures along the way. It is likely they will have similar experiences and even some advice on how to achieve your goals!
So, challenge is growth. Right now the whole world is facing a challenge that is changing the way we live our lives. We can view this challenge as an opportunity to learn, to support one another, and to grow both as individuals and as a society.
