Everyone around the globe has felt the effects of COVID-19 differently. One group of people that have been affected in a different way are collegiate athletes, specifically the less televised and less popular sports. Many teams across the country have had seasons canceled, no practices and have been unable to bond with teammates and grow their skills within their sport. I was able to chat with Reilley Bain and get her perspective on how COVID-19 has affected collegiate athletes.
Her Campus (HC): Please introduce yourself. What’s your name? Where do you go to school and what sport do you play?
Reilley Bain (RB): My name is Reilley Bain and I go to Georgia Southwestern State University, where I play division two women’s soccer.
HC: What have your school and your team done in response to COVID-19?
RB: In response to COVID-19, our school, as a whole, requires every student to wear a mask in every building and in the dorm halls. As for my team, 25 percent of the team gets tested weekly for COVID-19 in order to play in our weekly conference games.
HC: What has been different about dealing with COVID-19 in regard to your sport?
RB: Our fall season got postponed due to COVID-19. They rescheduled it to the spring, where we play each conference team only once. A normal season has about 20 games, whereas now we only have 11. Traveling is a little different as well. We aren’t allowed to stay in hotels right now, so once we leave for a game, we have to come straight back to school.
HC: How has it been balancing academic responsibilities and soccer responsibilities?
RB: Balancing my academic and athletic schedules has been pretty easy for me. My coach sends out weekly schedules for the following week, so we know what to expect and that has helped me a bunch.
HC: Has there been anything to come out of this experience with COVID-19 that has been positive for you or your team?
RB: I have learned not to take things for granted. When we were practicing in the fall, most states didn’t have a healthy team or weren’t allowed to practice yet.
HC: What about the negatives? How has COVID-19 impacted you or your team negatively?
RB: I’d say the biggest negative that came from COVID-19 is that you never know what could happen the next day. You never know if your game could get canceled until the day of. It’s happened quite often, where we train all week getting ready for a game, and then the day before the game, it gets canceled due to teams not following COVID-19 regulations, or positive tests. You just never know what could happen next.
HC: Is there anything else you’d like people to know about your situation in regard to COVID-19?
RB: Everybody is going through the same challenge around the country. It’s how you learn to handle the environment around you. That’s gonna be the deal-breaker for this season and possibly upcoming seasons.
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