Loss of season affects many in different ways
It has been almost a month since the spring collegiate sports were canceled due to the coronavirus.
The news was delivered on St. Patrick无毛视频檚 Day, and everything happened so fast.
For a quartet of local individuals invested in collegiate sports, the shutdown affected them in different ways.
In this piece, they share their unique first-hand experiences.
无毛视频橧t is a very empty feeling'
For Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus Director of Athletics Lou Zadecky, he sensed a shutdown may be ensuing but was also helping Fayette host the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Division I and II national basketball championships for both the men and women.
无毛视频淚 nervously started to think about what may happen,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淪ome of the bigger events like the NCAA conferences canceled their tournaments and then the NCAA pulled the plug on March Madness.
无毛视频淲ord came down from the university that we were shutting down and that was it.无毛视频�
Zadecky spoke about the pandemic.
无毛视频淭his is a tough time for our athletic staff, teams and especially our student-athletes,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淥ur facilities are closed, and they don无毛视频檛 have the opportunity to train, practice or compete.
无毛视频淚t puts a strain on all of us to stay connected, but we are supporting each other.无毛视频�
Zadecky said working from home has been different but he appreciates his family time.
无毛视频淭here are a lot of Zoom department meetings, conference calls and more emails than usual,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淗owever, I get to be with my wife and kids, and without them, this would be really tough.
无毛视频淭hey make a world of difference for me and I am glad to have them.无毛视频�
无毛视频橧t is weird being home and not playing'
For Monessen graduate and Robert Morris sophomore pitcher Dana Vatakis, she is trying to stave off boredom with her regular routine gone.
无毛视频淚 am trying to find stuff to do to help me get my schoolwork done,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淓xercising is different as well, and I have definitely had to adjust.
无毛视频淚t is weird being home and not playing.无毛视频�
Vatakis started 10 of the 12 games she played in this season and had a 2.54 ERA along with a team-high five wins.
无毛视频淭hings were going well, and we had a good start compared to last year,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淚 was excited for the rest of the season as we had bonded well together.无毛视频�
Vatakis said that she will take the NCAA up on the extra year of eligibility that has been offered to the spring sports student-athletes.
无毛视频淚 have already thought about it,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淚 will definitely play since I have the chance to.无毛视频�
无毛视频橧 shouldn无毛视频檛 take anything for granted'
Penn State sophomore pitcher Bailey Parshall had already rung up accolades on the young season when it was canceled.
Honored once each as the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week and the Penn State Athletics Athlete of the Week, the Belle Vernon Area graduate had her eyes opened by the current pandemic.
无毛视频淭he season getting canceled was definitely a wake-up call for me, and after everything settled, I thought about how I shouldn无毛视频檛 take anything for granted,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淚t has been emotional for the team, but it has brought us closer.无毛视频�
Parshall had a 2.51 ERA and started 13 of the 20 games she appeared in with seven wins, eight complete games and 129 strikeouts in 89.1 innings pitched.
The 129 strikeouts ranked eighth in all of Division I.
While Parshall admits the transition to her classes being on Zoom wasn无毛视频檛 easy, she is making the most of her time while not looking too far ahead.
无毛视频淚 have been able to dedicate most of my time to school and our strength coach sent out a workout plan for us to keep in shape and get stronger,无毛视频� she said before turning her attention to the possibility of an extra season. 无毛视频淭here are still conversations that have to be made and a lot of moving parts (involved).
无毛视频淚 hope to get the opportunity to play for a fifth year and be able to get a higher education in my studies as well.无毛视频�
无毛视频橧t is a down time for everyone'
Joe Volpe of Masontown has been a collegiate baseball umpire for 26 years and had a busy start to his season.
That is, until March 17.
Volpe umpired approximately 20 games during the first month of the season before things were canceled.
无毛视频淲e were blessed to get a good amount of games in,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淭his is different, and I look forward to everyone getting back to normal life.
无毛视频淚t is a down time for everyone.无毛视频�
Volpe worked the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and Mountain East Conference Challenge that was held over three straight weekends.
He also did a Cal U doubleheader and did a loop through southern West Virginia that included doing games with Paul Lancaster of Uniontown with stops in Beckley, Glenville and Charleston.
无毛视频淲e would have gone to Florida as well,无毛视频� Volpe said.
With the extra downtime, Volpe is fishing and taking care of his five acres of land.
无毛视频淚 have a lot of grass to cut,无毛视频� he quipped. 无毛视频淚 have also been doing some fishing alone to keep social distance from others.
无毛视频淎s a sports official, without any baseball, it is just different with this amount of downtime.无毛视频�
Email questions/comments to powerhousehughes@gmail.com or tweet them to @BillHughes_III.