Rec Center Closed Notice. PJ Heusted // AS Review
By PJ Heusted
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the shift to an entirely remote learning schedule, closing campus for non-essential personnel, and canceling the remainder of winter and spring sports seasons and recreation activities. Closing the Associated Students Outdoor Center and Wade King Recreation Center meant the canceling of dance classes, club team practices, outdoor excursions and more.
Western’s Director of Athletics Steve Card posted a statement on the Western Athletics website detailing changes to the rest of the athletic year.
The statement explains that as a result of the season’s cancellation, the National Collegiate Athletics Association [NCAA] made the decision to reinstate eligibility for spring sport athletes. This means that seniors who would have fulfilled their final year of eligibility may return in the 2020-2021 season to complete their college athletic career.
All of the remaining winter practices, games and championships were canceled in addition to the entire spring season, according to Card’s statement.
“Our men’s and women’s basketball teams were at the regional championships, one of our track and field athletes was competing at the Indoor Track National Championship,” Card wrote in the statement.
Although spring sports were canceled there will be no change to athletic scholarships for spring sport athletes, Athletic Communications Director Jeff Evans said, in an email.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee canceled group meetings, impacting teams outside of Western Athletics as well.
Many club sports meet, practice and compete during spring quarter. With classes moving online and leagues canceling any remaining events, club teams were left with a season cut short or canceled entirely.
The Women’s Club Lacrosse team played most of their games for the year but saw an abrupt end of the season.
“Unfortunately when the university decided to ban all non essential, this meant that the rest of our season was cancelled because we had matches left at Washington State [University] and University of Washington,” Women’s Lacrosse Co-President Kirsten Walker said, in an email. “We still had one weekend of regular play and a weekend of playoffs, which was all cancelled.”
While these clubs competed in some of their season’s competitions, other clubs saw the end of the season before it started.
Western’s Club Baseball team participated in three pre-season circuits, but had their regular season games canceled before they could play any of them.
“This has been extremely tough on all of our players, but especially to those seniors who were unaware that they had played their last collegiate baseball game and possibly last baseball game of their life,” Baseball President and Head Coach Jack Hudd said, in an email.
While practices and competitions are the base of club sports, there are minimum requirements for the clubs to exist. As a result of the pandemic, Assistant Director for Sports Clubs and Intramurals Caitlin Sommers adjusted club requirements to reflect the changes on campus.
Required volunteer hours were changed from eight hours per club member to 5 ½ hours per club member, Consultation and Sexual Assault Support training will now be held online with attendance requirements shifting from 90% of the club to 50%. Club support requirements were changed from needing to support another club four times to one time, Sommers said in an email.
Other recreation activities on campus, including dance classes in the Wade King Recreation Center and AS Outdoor Center, are canceled as well, as a result of campus being closed to all non-essential employees.
Dance instructors advertised on the @wwudancefitness Instagram account that many of them will be hosting their own virtual dance classes on Zoom during spring quarter. Links to the instructors personal accounts can be found on the shared dance account’s posts or Instagram story.
The AS Outdoor Center cannot offer excursions, challenge program or rentals during spring quarter, but launched E-Outdoors to keep students connected with the program. E-Outdoors consists of a variety of livestreams and pre-recorded content covering yoga, bike repairs, wilderness first aid and more, AS Outdoor Center Programs Coordinator Stephen Magnuson said in an email.
E-Outdoors session information will be posted on Western Involvement Network [WIN] as well as the Outdoor Center website.
“Although we may miss the sport tremendously, I am happy that many of our players are back home, safe, and with their families amongst this extremely tough time,” Hudd said, in an email. “Once this is over, whenever that will be, those who are fortunate enough to get to return for another season are greatly looking forward to stepping onto the field again with our teammates and brothers.”