Anteater Friends, Family, and Alumni,
We are one week away from the start of the 2020/2021 campaign. Traditionally, we would be gearing up to introduce our new recruits and walk-on athletes to the team and embark into Fall training. However, this year is anything but traditional. We have been doing our best, working within University guidelines to insure our athletes safety; adapting, as I know you all have in your own lives. Yet despite the lack of time on the water and the frustrations of not being able to row together in team boats—and with the seemingly “no-end-in-sight” mental health strains of the pandemic—we are forging a path forward together.
Last week our club president, Tyler Williams ’21, informed the coaching staff on the University guidelines regarding the Fall Quarter. Campus Recreation stated “At this time, we will need to place all club activity on hold for the fall quarter. This includes all practices, in-person activity, and virtual/remote physical activity hosted by your club.” While institutions are responding to the COVID-19 re-opening phase differently, Campus Recreation leadership has decided that no club physical activity for the Fall Quarter is the best option for all sports to move forward for now. These constraints do not currently allow our coaches to physically train our athletes in person or remotely. However, we can engage with our student-athletes on academic, learning and leadership levels.
Big questions loom: When will we be back on the water? Will there be a spring racing season? How will we respond to teams that have been back on the water training? How will we produce on-the-water results? And, most importantly, the million-dollar question: How do we keep our athletes engaged and moving forward throughout? These questions are impossible to answer at the moment, but we are working on them. I am hopeful for a 2021 Spring racing season and conclusion to the season at the 2021 ACRA National Championship in Oakridge Tennessee in June. We can guarantee that we will be doing everything we can to propel our student-athletes forward regardless of on-the-water activity. And, we’ll include all of you in the effort!
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