COVID AND SPORTS, a Morningside perspective
Where were you March 11th, 2020? To some that date may not seem significant, but to sports fans it was the day the world stopped turning.
On March 11th, 2020, Rudy Gobert tested positive for Covid-19, and the NBA game between the Jazz and the Thunder was cancelled by the refs’ moments before tip-off. I still remember that night and thinking Holy Shit, Covid-19 is real. Just a couple days later all sports a crossed the world were shut down and we were all forced into a bubble.
For the interest of Morningside Students, I wanted to get insights from a current athlete, and a former student/ current administration, and some who did go to school here but is current administration.
The very first person I talked to was Dylan Hamil. Mr. Hamil is guy with a little bit of Cali-swag to him, by that I mean he wears his hair long, and overall has very chill mindset and outlook towards the world. He is a man you has an immense love for the sport of volleyball, and when I brought up the topic of the begging of covid and Rudy Gobert Hamil told me, “I remember that night… I am not a avid basketball fan but I remember scrolling through twitter and seeing the images of fans running towards the exits and there being a panic. At the moment my heart snuck, I knew I had lost my season.”
My father Mike Freeman, who works at Morningside University shared similar sentiments when he told me, “I was devasted for our Mustang athletes, especially the seniors because I knew for a lot of them they’d begin to realize they’d played their last game here.”
In that moment in the interview with both my father and especially Dylan Hamil, I began to realize that maybe going down the path of asking them questions about their covid experience would only net me negative responses so asked them to give me any positive they got from the experience.
“The world was moving at warp speed through the years, and this pandemic has slowed life down to a turtle’s pace. It forces one to get back to what is important in their life that one may have taken for granted or forgotten. For me it was GOD, family, and friends,” said Mr. Hamil, “I have learned not to take as many things as I did before for granted. Once we finally be back to “normal”, I realize now that I have to be thankful every day that I am safe, and healthy. I also now am able to participate in my jobs, and school, and be with people that I love. I will continue to remember that the life we have is a gift, and to embrace that gift and see this current present time can get taken away at a moments notice.”
During the time of this answer, I notice that Dylan was becoming very passionate about his current ability to enjoy his sport and his busy life. I think Dylan’s mindset of being present and enjoying the little things is important to remember at this time almost a year and a half removed from the start of covid-19.
Mark O’Connell was a former student and is currently working the alumni relations office of Morningside University and I wanted to get perspective of what alumni and how they were feeling now that COVID-19 is a thing of the past.
“I think it’s great,” Says Mr. O’Connell, “The world as we know it is slowly getting back to normal, and I think that is a fantastic thing not only for our current students, athletes, and me and family but also for our Alumni. This past week was our Homecoming, and it was a fantastic thing to see all the alumni back to celebrate Morningside university. When I spoke to them there was a pessimistic optimism, they look back on what happened and are deeply saddened, but they are hopeful for the future”.
Overall obviously covid was a terrible thing, but from the people I talk to people are pulling positives from the pandemic.