By Abby Pautz
Fall sports: football, volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, hockey, cross country, and soccer, have been pushed back to the spring of 2021. For athletes that compete in two sports, they may have to opt out of one.
The Bethel University campus is quiet. COVID-19 has come and it is not going away any time soon. Students, athletes, and our country know this. Everything is up in the air and classes, athletics, and wellbeing is not set in stone.
Bethel has quite a few multi-sport athletes that will participate in a fall sport as well as a spring sport. Unfortunately, this could be difficult for these athletes since almost all sports will be playing in the spring. This is overwhelming for coaches and athletic directors, but it adds significant pressure for two sport athletes.
Allie Fauth is a senior from Hutchison, Minnesota studying elementary education while competing in volleyball and softball. Before the coronavirus Allie was able to compete with both the volleyball and the softball team, but now that the MIAC is delaying fall sports, Fauth along with others have decisions to make.
“My teammates were saying, ‘oh yay we get an opportunity to still play this year which is exciting!’ but I was thinking, ‘oh well what does that mean for me,’ Fauth said
Head volleyball coach Gretchen Hunt and head softball coach Penny Foore both agreed that they want Fauth to have the freedom to participate in both sports. As long as the scheduling is not too overwhelming, Fauth plans to compete with both teams this spring.
“It is really great knowing that I have two supportive coaches that are wanting me to do what I want,” Fauth said.
Fauth is practicing in a pod with the volleyball team. The point of practicing in a pod will lower the amount of people to come in contact with in the RC gym or the SRC. Because of this Fauth cannot be in a pod for softball due to the COVID-19 regulations that have been set in place. Instead, Fauth is able to do one-on-one hitting and fielding practice with a softball coach whenever her schedule allows.
“We are going month by month. Having meetings and just seeing how everything plays out, so the schedule will just be a little crazy,” Fauth said.
Fauth is not the only athlete dealing with this new normal. Malakai Holloway, a junior from Eden Prairie, Minnesota studying studio art and art education competes in track and field as well as cross country.
Holloway is currently practicing in a pod for cross country since the fall is usually cross country season. Although track and field lifting began this week, Holloway can only be in one pod to practice.
“If they make me choose [track and field or cross country] I don’t know what I choose. That is like choosing between two foods that you love, you just can’t,” Holloway said.
All MIAC athletes hope to compete this spring but nothing is set in stone. Holloway knows this but is trying to have a mindset throughout this time of change. She said she would be disappointed if she isn’t able to compete in the spring.
“I am not going to continue to be upset because it is something that I can’t really control,” said Holloway.
