By Joey Africano
What happened to our sports? It hasn’t been easy for many Golden Bears fans at Western New England University, and it especially hasn’t been easy for many of our Golden Bear athletes over the last year. Due to COVID-19 we have had to transition into a new norm that changed the many ways we interact with our fellow students and professors, how we move around campus, and especially how we watch or participate in our campus sports programs.
Prior to COVID-19, during the winter sports season, we would gather in the New England cold and head on out to go to wrestling matches, basketball and men’s hockey games and cheer on our fellow Golden Bear teams, athletes, and friends, and this year we were all excited to support our new sports program here at WNE, Women’s Ice Hockey.
The dedicated athletes were gearing up for their season competition and to show their stuff to their enduring, dedicated Golden Bears fans. However, this winter season is not to be. There were initial hopes that the winter sports season would come to fruition, but the result, like the previous fall and spring seasons, was cancellation.
While it has been frustrating and disappointing especially for the athletes, it also hasn’t been easy on the coaches either. Take Coach Zimmerman, the head coach of Women’s Ice Hockey, and Coach Sugermeyer, the University’s Wrestling Coach, both of whom I interviewed about the loss of their respective seasons.
I asked each of them, since most winter sports have been either canceled or have changed their competitive season to later in the year, how are the coaches adjusting to the changes caused by COVID-19? Even though the season may be lost, most of the teams continue to practice. In my discussions with Coach Sugermeyer, I asked him how he has adjusted practices to make sure his athletes stay safe.
He mentioned, “We have had to make adjustments in our practice routines to mitigate the risks of COVID-19. However, cleaning and disinfecting equipment and practice surfaces has always been a part of the wrestling culture.”
He followed up on that statement and mentioned how he handles the social distancing for practices. “We have been conducting practices in smaller groups of participants and keeping our student-athletes in pods of 2-3. This limits the amount of contact that an individual has with others on the team. We have also rolled out mats in the field house instead of our wrestling room to be able to better practice social distancing.”
In my questions to Coach Zimmerman on the similar topic, her response was, “at the beginning of our season we needed to ‘phase-in’ to full contact, so for the first several weeks we spent a lot of time developing skills and teaching concepts. We also worked diligently to establish our on-ice identity with our consistent work ethic, focus, energy, and good habits. We have experienced so many ‘firsts’ together, and we are eagerly anticipating the moment we get to suit up for our first-ever game.”
I was also curious to see if the WNE Administration has taken proactive steps in the coaches’ eyes to support the teams during these challenging times. Both coaches openly expressed gratitude for the Administration, saying they were supportive and worked tirelessly to make sure our athletes were able to come together and practice.
As we all know, the University Administration is responsible for the athletic programs, and they are the decision-makers on how sports will or will not be conducted during COVID-19. With that in mind, I reached out to Matthew Labranche, the Director of Athletics.
In my conversation with Director Labranche, we discussed many topics related to the pandemic and sports, but the item that matters most to the athletes and students is what the administration’s plans are for next year’s sports programs. He highlighted to me, surprisingly, that they haven’t given up yet trying to get competition for winter and spring athletes. They are trying to get some type of contests for each of the programs, even if they don’t lead into any championships.
For next year, he and the other staff members are hoping to have a normal competitive season since the vaccines have been rolled out. However, he caveated by stating they cannot make any hasty calls and are waiting for information to see what the future holds. When I asked him about the challenges he and his staff often face during this pandemic, he said that while it has been tough to make sure they keep social distance guidelines, their priorities are always to support the athletes and ensure they are safe.
He explained that they have provided many ways for athletes to attain the athletic experience they need and desire while at the same time making sure safety protocols are followed. I also asked Director Labranche if seniors would be able to keep their eligibility since many of them won’t be able to compete in a competition this year. He said that all athletes will receive extra eligibility this year for those students who plan on coming back to continue their education.
As an athlete here at Western New England, I made sure to thank Director Labranche and his staff for their hard work and dedicated support during these tough times. Following up on my questions to both Coach Sugermeyer and Zimmerman, I asked them about their plans for next year’s season and if COVID-19 restrictions have hampered their Golden Bear recruiting efforts. They both were optimistic that they would be victorious in future competitions and that recruiting has not been hindered.
Coach Sugermeyer reassured me that they will return to the NCAA National Championship, produce another national champion, and be ranked higher in the tournament than in 2019. Coach Zimmerman told me that they are working hard to have an impressive “first” debut season and make it big into the competition as a new team. While this has been a challenging year for all Golden Bears, let our students-athletes and coaches be an example that we can enjoy our time here and still stay safe and that the future looks bright for all WNE sports programs.
