Our New Normal, Volume VI

On this Monday afternoon, it’s downright balmy, which suits those who train outside just fine, although before they head home, the sun will set, and the mild conditions will give way to cold and darkness.

 

Such is life, of course, but all is good because in this COVID world, teams are together and going through their paces (albeit with restrictions), and hope exists that maybe, just maybe, circumstances will allow for interscholastic competition sometime before the season concludes.

 

Today’s offering is another in the “Our New Normal” series, a look at how Collegiate folks are managing despite the roadblocks and detours that the pandemic of 2020 has placed in our individual and collective paths.

 

Andrew Vigne, Collegiate’s assistant athletic director, is standing on the porch of Jacobs Gym, trip manifests in hand, as wrestlers and soccer (actually, futsal) players load onto buses heading to the Robins Campus and swimmers prepare to depart for the Collegiate School Aquatic Center.

 

“We’re doing wrestling in the turf room at Robins and futsal on the turf outside.,” Vigne explained. “That’s new this year. Wrestling is usually upstairs in the wrestling room. Futsal is in the gym. We’re adjusting. They’re following the rules. They’re glad to be able to play. They know without being a little flexible, we wouldn’t have a season.”

 

Patiently (operative word) waiting for his team to board its bus was Asher Rolfe, who coaches JV wrestling.

 

What’s your new normal? I inquired

 

“This year,” he replied, “is really about team development and looking to the future. Since we can’t have contact right now, we’re doing a lot of fitness work. There’re wrestling fundamentals that we can do with one-man drills. We’re talking about where we’d like to be as a program when we get back to the old normal.”

 

“It’s very difficult,” he said. “So much of developing technique is based on the reaction you’re getting from your partner. Since you can’t have a partner right now, it’s difficult to teach that, especially to less experienced wrestlers because they don’t know what it feels like. Trying to speak through it and have them envision what they need is very challenging.”

 

 

“Oh, sure,” Rolfe said. “A big goal for us is to continue that sense of team continuity and identity and have older guys mentoring younger guys. Even in a normal season, there has to be a team identity because everybody has their highs and lows. Having a team carry you through those low points and pick you up and get you back on track is really helpful.”

 

Swimming coach Mike Peters was on the loading dock waiting for his squad to arrive.

 

What adjustments have you made in swimming? I asked.

 

“The big change,” he said, “is the space in the pool. Our JV and varsity would normally practice at the same time, so we have them split. Both practice a little bit shorter than normal. It’s just a matter of planning for practices so there’s not much time on the wall. When one is on the wall, the other is out past the flags just kind of treading water. Once they start swimming, it’s pretty similar to what we normally would have. We’re one of the sports that’s lucky enough to be close to our normal practice procedure. It’s just the room and the timing of practice.”

 

Is there a worry about the virus living in the water? I asked.

 

“We run by the facility’s rules,” he replied, “and USA Swimming has put out a lot of information on the best practices, so we follow those. We keep people six feet apart as much as possible. Once they’re in the water, we’re pretty confident that it won’t spread under the water. As long as their faces aren’t out of the water and they’re only swimming past each other for only a split second at a time, we should be OK.

 

 

“So far, so good,” he replied. “Hopefully, we can stay in the water.”

 

Boys varsity basketball practice, masks included, was beginning in the Jacobs Gym.

What do workouts look like? I asked head coach Del Harris.

 

“Just drills,” he said. “There’s an opportunity to improve. Our motto says it best every year. This year, it’s ‘Adapt. Adjust. Get Better. Help Somebody.’  We’re adapting to wearing masks. We’re adjusting to not playing games right now. We’ll get better. We’ll figure it out. We’ll have a positive spirit and a fun environment and help each other.”

 

Yes, I said, but how hard is it keeping their heads in the game when there might not be actual games?

 

“To be honest,” he responded, “you control what you can control. We’re a mature, experienced team. We pride ourselves on player development. Yeah, we want to play games, but this is a chance for growth. We’re excited to see how much better we can get as players and as a team.”

 

My last stop on this afternoon was the Grover Jones Field/Jim Hickey Track where Brent Miller, head boys track coach was holding forth.

 

What’s winter track’s new normal? I asked.

 

Miller explained that the gigantic team (upwards of 180) doesn’t look as gigantic as usual because event groups are spaced out around the campus. Three separate sprint/hurdle groups work out on the track. The distance contingent convenes behind the South Science Building to warm up before hitting the roads. Vaulters, jumpers, and throwers report to their event-specific areas.  Middle School athletes use the upper field.

 

“It’s a different feel,” said Miller. “We’re creating a team environment within our smaller groups. They’re training together every day. We’re doing time trials and will continue that throughout the season because right now we don’t have meets scheduled. We’re really just pushing one another to get better each day.”

 

“Yes,” he said. “They have a great attitude about coming out here and getting after it. Of course, we’d all love to compete, but right now they’re excited about pushing each other to do better. That’s our approach: getting better.”

~ Weldon Bradshaw