The Return.

Earlier this week, I returned to the U.S. after spending the last five months in Australia where I had a much different experience during this pandemic. In short, I feel as though I have come back to a very divided country, and I don't say that with only COVID-19 in mind. It feels very tense. I can tell that people are still scared, my athletes included.

Nevertheless,I have come back to return to my college for my final year as the women's soccer team's graduate assistant. This is a very uncertain time as COVID-19 continues to make it's presence known throughout the U.S. As a college coach, each week poses new challenges as we continue to assess and re-asses decisions that were made the week before. I am optimistic that our college will remain open this semester. However, I am not sure what our Fall season will look like. With several cancelled games and trips, I do believe our goal will be to complete as many games as we can.

In speaking with a friend who is a practitioner in the U.S., I asked him what advice he could give me as a college coach during this time? I framed the conversation around what we can do to help our athletes as we move forward with our Fall season. He told me two things. First, he said, you and the school need to accept that someone is going to test positive for COVID. It is unrealistic to believe that someone on campus is not going to get it, especially when you have sports teams crossing over state borders for weekly games. Knowing that, what measures are in place to address any positive test on our campus? Second, he said this: Don't assume that your student-athletes are coming onto campus stress-free. Their parents may have lost their jobs. They may have had to relocate. They have been isolated from friends. Be mindful of all of this when you see them again.

I am grateful to my friend for raising this last concern. In Australia, I was certainly affected by this pandemic. But where I was, we did not have curfews, we never enforced people to wear masks, and I was still able to visit my friends. The takeaway for me is that now more than ever we must be mindful of ours, and our student-athlete's mental health. It is important to check in with others and see how they are doing. I do believe this will go a long way.