"We're Still a Team"

Coaching is much more than game plans, X’s and O’s, and wins and losses.
It’s sharing hopes and dreams and memorable experiences with the athletes entrusted to your care. It’s encouraging them, nurturing them, empowering them, and mentoring them. It’s ministering to their heads and hearts and convincing them that despite challenges, setbacks, and disappointments, all will be right in the end.
 
Never has that concept been more important than it is today.
 
This past Monday, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam ordered that all schools in the Commonwealth shut down for the remainder of the academic year in an effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus. The unprecedented yet all-too-necessary decree brought an abrupt end to the spring athletic season and the high school careers of the seniors.
 
What follows are thoughts, insights, and observations of several of Collegiate’s spring varsity head coaches about helping their athletes process this stunning turn of events and find some sense of closure.
 
Andrew Slater, baseball
 
It’s been tough. They’re disappointed. They’re frustrated. There’re a lot of emotions, but they all understand that this is bigger than our season and the sport of baseball. They have a mature approach regarding this whole situation. They understand that it’s out of their control.
 
For me right now, it’s expressing empathy and disappointment for the seniors. That’s why I had a phone conversation with each of them. For the younger guys, it’s more about continuing to throw and continuing to hit and finding a way to get their sports performance in. They’re all hoping to play this summer.
 
Andrew Stanley, boys lacrosse
 
We were on spring break and practicing when things really accelerated. We saw the initial shutdown coming. We found out Thursday (March 12) that practice that day would be our last one. We were fortunate in that we had an hour or two to get our heads around it and have a final event. We tried to make it fun. The kids handled it beautifully in that moment.

After the announcement, I did call the kids. Some conversations were short. Some were longer. Some of the kids were very emotional. Some were very practical. The message that I tried to convey was that it’s not over. The physical, literal season is over. Scheduled events are over. We really felt like we were off to a good start. We really liked these kids. They really were buying in with good chemistry and enjoying each other’s company.
 
The goal was to make sure each heard from me that the coaches are still here for them. We’re still a team. They need to take care of themselves and each other. Now more than ever, they need to practice awareness, dominate fear, live grit, and attack each day with tenacity.
 
Obviously, we want to win, but it’s about the teaching. The reason schools have sports is to help kids understand dealing with adversity, challenging themselves in tough moments, and learning from that process. It’s people working together for a common goal. These moments are when having been on a team serves you best.
 
Karin Whitt, tennis
 
I think they knew it was coming, but it was a little bit of a shock that it came so quickly. They’re vastly intelligent, so they clearly get why this is happening. They want to be the best global citizens they can be, but it’s been really tough on them.
 
I’d been sending weekly emails and giving them books to read and YouTube videos. All of them were texting back and forth. I sent an email to our captains and thanked them for all they’d done in the off season and how disappointed I was for them. It took me a whole day to type it. Then, I just couldn’t hit the SEND button. When I did, that’s when it hit me.
 
I told the boys that there’re two things you can work on right now: their mental toughness and staying in shape. Those two things can help you in life.
 
Rob Ukrop, soccer
 
Like everyone else, they were extremely sad, not because we were missing games but just the daily interaction: getting out to practice, laughing, joking, talking about their lives. That’s the biggest letdown for me and the coaching staff.  One of the first things we do every session is look kids in the eye, greet them, and use the phrase: “Greetings. Salutations. Hello.” We give fist bumps. It’s really important that they understand how much we appreciate them. We’ll miss that bonding opportunity.
 
I’d like to find a way to have a Senior Day. One of our traditions is each of the girls gets the book Oh, The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss. Inside there’s a handwritten note from all the girls on the team. The junior girls also do these gag gifts with funny stories. We’re hoping that at some point, we’ll be able to have dinner together and share our thoughts about how much we appreciate the seniors.
 
We were scheduled to play Maggie Walker April 22 at (newly renovated) City Stadium. That’s another lost opportunity to create great memories. It’s the world we live in. The important thing is for the girls to stay connected. I don’t remember a whole lot of the moments from the games I played. I just remember the time together. That’s one of the things we can’t recreate.
 
Robby Turner, softball
 
Everything’s been changing by the minute. I’d been saying, “Hold on. Keep working. When we get back from this, we want to be prepared.” To go from that to what we heard Monday has been hard. I got texts from our captains who were very disappointed but positive. I don’t want them to give up hope that we can’t come around to something. Uncertainty is a hard thing, but you want them to stay on task.
 
Everybody has tried to do what they can do. I’m impressed that several players reached out asking if they could get workouts from Coach (Will) O’Brien and Coach (Chris) Peoples (sports performance). They want to stay in shape.
 
I haven’t heard doom and gloom. They’re optimistic and upbeat. The season isn’t over in terms of our team. We might not be on the field, we might not be practicing, but we’re still a team. I want to find ways that we still connect whether that’s through Zoom or team challenges that we can do remotely. I want to make sure we can do that.
 
Beth Kondorossy, track and field
 
It’s hitting the seniors hard because they won’t get another chance to compete. For a lot of them, this is the season they’ve been looking most forward to. And the 11th graders realize the next time they set foot on campus, they’ll be seniors. That’s a little intimidating. They’re still digesting it. We’ve talked about how we can keep motivating the team, not necessarily for track but to be healthy humans.
 
Spring is my favorite season, not just because the weather’s nice. I love being able to celebrate our track team and our seniors at our home meets. It’s hard, but it’s going to get better. We’re healthy right now. We have this community. We realize we’re fortunate for what we have.
 
 
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