The COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the sports world in 2020, forcing many sports to be postponed or rescheduled.
During the spring 2020 season, sports such as softball had their seasons canceled. This trend continued in the fall 2020 sports season when sports such as men’s water polo and volleyball had to be rescheduled for spring 2021.
The cancellation of the spring 2020 season was a dramatic and shocking event for many athletes at California Baptist University, who suddenly saw their entire year’s athletic preparation dissipate along with any future competitions.
“My first reaction was shocked,” said Brittany Galvez, graduate student and member of the softball team. “Before we knew it, we saw schools closing one after the other and then everything fell and there was shock and frustration and tears. We were lost for words; [there were] a lot of tears. Even thinking back to it, it still hurts.”
Despite hopes that the fall 2020 season would be able to be conducted safely, all fall-season sports were rescheduled for spring 2021.
“I was disappointed at first after hearing that the season was rescheduled because I was unsure of what that would mean for the team,” said Zach Lowery, senior engineering major and member of the men’s water polo team. “I am an optimistic person, so it was unexpected.”
Despite the disappointment of a rescheduled season, many were not surprised by the continual postponement as many concluded that a fall sports season would not be able to be conducted safely.
“The postponement of fall sports wasn’t all that big of a surprise,” said Branden Higa, CBU volleyball head coach. “Everyone knew it was a possibility. We took the approach that we were going to prepare for the season to be in the fall until we were told something different. It was 100% the right move, though, and once we heard for sure, we set about trying to take advantage of the opportunity that it afforded us to train and get better.”
Many would view the canceled spring 2020 season and rescheduled fall 2020 season as a frustrating setback, but the various teams at CBU continue to work hard.
“We’ve had to be creative and open-minded and I think our girls have done a good job adapting to the new normal,” Galvez said. “We remind each other at the end of the day that we’re grateful to be here and we’re grateful for CBU to be open and give us a chance to compete.”
Lowery said he believed that more practice could only help perfect his team’s performance.
“Every second we had to practice, we have taken advantage of it,” Lowery said. “There have been times where we were all sent home and we still had a weekly team meeting to keep in touch.”
Despite concerns about the safety of athletic competitions during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, CBU has taken precautions to guarantee the safety of its student-athletes, coaches, and athletic support staff. Furthermore, many student-athletes and other athletics staff are excited for the upcoming season.
“We’re grateful to be able to compete, and we’re stoked to be able to get out and be with each other and compete,” Galvez said.
Although many sports were postponed, Lancers should try to remain positive moving forward despite what may be considered a crowded spring season.
