'We’ve taken it in stride': Club sports teams adapt as COVID-19 cancels their seasons

From basketball to badminton, club sports play a big part in the lives of some UNC students. But, thanks to campus closures and the COVID-19 outbreak, their seasons have been cut short. 

“I was really disappointed,” said Rob Winslow, a junior computer science major and member of the men’s crew team. “I know hopefully I have next season but I felt really bad for the senior ﹣we only have one senior on our team ﹣ just because I know he was really excited for his last season and he was hoping to do big things.”

In accordance with University guidelines, club sports seasons have been either canceled or postponed.

Winslow said the spring season is the biggest time of year for men's crew, but was cut short with four regattas and two scrimmages to go. Despite this disappointment, Winslow said teammates stay united through online communication. 

“The united part has been fairly easy, because we still communicate all the time,” he said. “We are in a big group chat together. We’ve been doing Zoom calls every Thursday.”

Staying active and maintaining skills, especially for a team sport, poses additional challenges. Winslow said keeping the team’s training up has been extremely difficult with a lack of access to rowing machines and gyms, but the team has been trying to exercise from home.

“It's pretty inevitable that we are all going to get out of shape, which is a bummer, but what can you do,” Winslow said. “And at least you know that all the teams we compete against are going through the same thing, so it shouldn't be too big of a punch in the long run.”

While the men’s crew team season was canceled, some other club sports seasons, like men’s team handball, were postponed.

“It's just tough for some people that this is their last chance at an organized sport,” club president Alex Laws said. 

The team couldn't travel to The Ohio State University for college nationals, but Laws hopes seniors will be able to play in some sort of tournament in the fall. While at home, Laws said the team group message is active daily and they do Zoom calls on occasion.

“We’ve kept the chat alive, so I think that's helped kind of ease the transition,” Laws said. “We have done a few Zooms, but being in-person makes it much more authentic.”

Players typically need a team and a handball to practice the sport, Laws said, so team members have opted for personal training on their own at home. 

Even without club sports teams meeting in person, UNC Campus Recreation is offering virtual programs for all students to stay active. 

Tori Hooker, senior assistant director of sport programs, said intramural sports have collected data to start virtual leagues.

“The registration for that is the same as it is for our traditional IM sports,” Hooker said. “It's through IMLeagues, so people can register for the esports that we are offering.”`

Hooker said the fitness program also offers opportunities through social media, such as online classes, for people to get a good workout.

Winslow said the crew team's Zoom meetings are fairly cheerful, and the team is trying to make the best of their situation.

“We’ve been through some pretty tough spots before on the crew team," he said. "Nothing like this obviously, but I would say that dealing with adversity and unforeseen circumstances is a strong suit of the team, so we’ve taken it in stride." 

university@dailytarheel.com