Cedarville Magazine, Fall 2020

YELLOW JACKET EFFECTS OF COVID-19 ON CEDARVILLE ATHLETICS The COVID-19 pandemic has affected virtually every area on campus, including athletics. Cedarville University Athletic Director Alan Geist ’83 answers questions about how Yellow Jacket sports teams have been impacted by the pandemic. Q What are we doing differently in athletics related to COVID-19? A We have had to think about contingencies for everything we do. For example, we take two vans to events in case a student-athlete gets sick, so we have a way to get home without putting the affected student on a bus with healthy athletes. It means we’re taking temperatures before every practice. We’re taking temperatures of student-athletes and coaches before they travel and the whole time they’re gone. We’re taking the temperatures of officials when they come to the University. As far as events, we’ll have a lot less people watching in person. As we get closer to some events, we may not be allowing anyone to watch in person. As far as the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC), when we travel to another school, we hand the home team a list of all our students on the roster with their temperatures. Other teams have to do the same when they come here. One of the biggest conversations has been about testing. Originally, the NCAA said that all fall athletes would need to be tested every week, but then we moved two of our sports to spring. We performed random testing on our cross country student-athletes because cross country is considered a medium-risk contact sport. Q What is our process if a student-athlete becomes symptomatic? A If our students believe they are symptomatic, they are to contact University Medical Services (UMS). If UMS is not open, they can wait till the morning or call Campus Security or 911. When they’re off campus traveling with a team, our plan is to get them back to campus, if possible, and if they need immediate care, to get medical attention where the team is playing. Q How has adapting to COVID affected athletic schedules? A We only competed in men’s and women’s cross country for the fall. Our golf team was out of season but competed in a few tournaments to prepare for the spring. Soccer and volleyball, which are considered high-risk contact sports by the NCAA, were moved to the spring with a reduced game schedule. Those sports held limited practices in the fall. We have not determined what basketball looks like yet for this school year. Q How have the changes affected the eligibility of athletes? A The NCAA has said that all fall sports athletes will get another year of eligibility, regardless how much of a schedule they play in the spring. Q How has the G-MAC responded to COVID? A The conference has tried very hard to stay on top of what the NCAA is saying, so when the ADs and compliance officers receive emails, the conference has done a great job pulling us all together to confer on how to interpret the latest NCAA directives. Q What has been most important in adapting to COVID-19? A The whole reason for everything we’ve gone through since March has been the welfare of our student-athletes and the welfare of our coaches and staff, to make sure everyone is safe. Over the summer, we decided to close the locker rooms and the weight room. That was not a popular decision, but it was the right one. The welfare of everyone involved is the most important factor for us, and that’s what the university has been navigating. 36 | Cedarville Magazine