By Stephanie Carlson ’21
Associate Editor and Sports Editor
Interim Director of Athletics Blake Theisen (Photo from Facebook)
With the ongoing spread of COVID-19, colleges across the country have shut down their campuses and gone completely online. With the sudden breach in students’ everyday lives, collegiate and non-collegiate sports took a major hit.
College students have not only lost their time with friends, their typical college experiences, and, for seniors, the postponement of their graduation ceremonies. COVID-19 has halted all spring collegiate sports until further notice. For many college athletes, this would have been their last chance to play the sports they love on the teams they’ve dedicated their college careers to.
Stentor staff spoke with the Interim Director of Athletics Blake Theisen to better understand the current situation and how the College plans to move forward.
Stentor: What does the COVID-19 pandemic mean for college sports?
Theisen: “From a local perspective, it is really heartbreaking to see our student-athletes lose out on opportunities to compete. They put in a ton of hours training for their season and to have it ripped out from under them by this invisible thing is tough and everyone in our athletic department is really hurting for them. Looking at the big picture, it’s been eye-opening, interesting, and for a sports fan, oddly encouraging to see how much of our world and especially our social interactions somehow revolve around sports.”
Stentor: How has the Lake Forest College Athletic Department handled these changes?
Theisen: “Like everyone, athletics is navigating the new landscape in the best, most effective way possible. As difficult as the decisions to cancel our athletic activities have been, it is absolutely the right choice and in the best interest [of]the health of our student-athletes, staff, and fans. Ultimately, our staff and coaches are all educators, so even without competitions or practices we maintain an important role of providing support for the student-athletes of Lake Forest College.”
Stentor: What does this mean for senior athletes?
Theisen: “The NCAA granted a blanket waiver for all spring sport student-athletes. At Lake Forest College this includes men’s and women’s golf, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s outdoor track. This means, regardless of their year in school, these student-athletes have an extra year of eligibility to make up this season. So, seniors could choose to take graduate courses at LFC next year and participate in their final season. Regardless of what any individuals choose to do, at an appropriate time in the future the athletic department is committed to celebrating our senior athletes and recognizing their terrific careers as Foresters.”
Stentor: How does this affect next year’s sports seasons?
Theisen: “The cancellations this spring will hopefully not impact any athletics at Lake Forest College for the 2020-2021 academic year.”
Stentor: Is there additional information you would like to share?
Theisen: “I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to the Lake Forest men’s hockey team. They earned a bid into the NCAA Division III National Tournament and were slated to host an opening-round contest on March 14. However, with the NCAA cancelling all winter and spring championships, this opportunity was sadly taken away. This year’s team had a terrific season and the College is incredibly proud of their accomplishments!
Also, the recent cancellations didn’t just impact our varsity athletic teams. We have many club sport student-athletes who did not get to compete this spring. This includes those who participate in equestrian, men’s and women’s lacrosse, and men’s and women’s rugby. To the seniors of these sports, we’re saddened they had their seasons end this way, but thank them for their contributions toward our programs and wish them the very best in the future!”
