Post by HCFC45 on Aug 12, 2020 7:18:18 GMT -5
From today's (Wednesday) Telegram:DEMOCRATIC TICKET
6:22 AM
By Jennifer Toland
Telegram & Gazette Staff
Posted Aug 11, 2020 at 4:47 PM
Updated Aug 12, 2020 at 6:36 AM
WORCESTER – Last month, when the Patriot League announced its decision to cancel competition for the 2020 fall season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Holy Cross student-athletes were obviously disappointed, but still hopeful about returning to campus, reuniting with their teammates, and working out and practicing with them while following health and safety protocols.
Holy Cross had planned to welcome students back to campus this fall and offer courses in online, in-person and hybrid formats, but Monday the college announced it would shift all learning to a remote model for the fall semester and allow a very limited number of students to live on campus. In a letter to the HC community, Rev. Philip Boroughs, Holy Cross president, cited concerns over the uptick in coronavirus activity, stricter state guidelines and delays in coronavirus testing as factoring into the decision.
Holy Cross director of athletics Marcus Blossom met remotely with his staff Monday following the announcement and to discuss its impact on HC’s student-athletes.
“We’re disappointed,” Blossom said Tuesday, “not in the decision, but in the outcome, how (the pandemic) has all played out. You have to understand the bigger picture, but these kids have lost out on a lot over the last five, six months. They’re a resilient group. They’re smart, and they know other people are suffering more than them, but it doesn’t diminish their pain.”
Among the limited number of students who will be allowed to live on campus this fall are the 78 total members of the men’s and women’s basketball teams and men’s and women’s ice hockey teams, Blossom said. In its announcement Monday, Holy Cross said it would permit a limited number of athletes who need proper training to compete in the winter season to live on campus in the fall semester.
HC also has a total of 164 members of the indoor track and field and swimming and diving teams that compete during the winter season. Holy Cross has more than 700 student-athletes in all.
“Knowing there are only limited spots on campus, we weren’t going to be allowed all of our winter sports teams,” Blossom said. “We ended up getting approval for the men’s and women’s basketball and men’s and women’s ice hockey teams for reasons being smaller rosters, the numbers — 78 is more palatable for the college to be able to take us on — and also their schedules are intact right now. Even though it may get pushed back, it’s still intact, and even if it gets pushed out, they missed out on the summer training that’s really required to compete. Even if (the schedules) get pushed back, they’re going to need the fall to practice to be able to compete whenever that is.”
The Hockey East Association, of which the HC women’s team is a member, announced late last month its intent to play the 2020-21 season while prioritizing league competition and the completion of a regular-season schedule. The league’s start date will be released at a later date.
The HC men’s team is a member of Atlantic Hockey, which has yet to make an announcement regarding the upcoming season. The Patriot League said in July it would make decisions surrounding winter and spring sports competition at a later date.
″(The men’s and women’s basketball and hockey teams) were relieved, excited,” Blossom said. “Obviously the other winter sports are disappointed, but they understand because the majority of track season doesn’t start until January, and in swimming we weren’t likely to compete until January either.”
In his message to the HC community, Boroughs said Holy Cross will reopen campus “when we believe it is safe to do so. We will continue to monitor the virus and public health guidance in order to make final decisions on the January term and spring semester as they approach.”
Blossom said that the HC student-athletes returning to campus this fall will move in at the same time as other Holy Cross students who will also live on campus. Classes begin Sept. 1.
For the members of the returning teams, Blossom said training protocols are in place such as proper distancing and a limited number of athletes allowed at one time in the weight room. They will be COVID tested on a regular basis, Blossom said, and masks will be worn during all workouts.
“We’ll start out in smaller groups,” Blossom said, “and we’re going to graduate our intensity levels and not start out at the maximum number of hours per the NCAA. We’ll gradually increase our hours over the first four weeks, so when it’s time to get to 100 percent intensity, we’re going to make sure they’re ready to take on that load to prevent injury, and with smaller groups, hopefully prevent the spread if one person were to contract the virus.”
Blossom also said there are a number of HC student-athletes from other teams who plan to live off campus this fall. Whether they will be allowed access to Holy Cross facilities for individual workouts has yet to be determined.
“We’re trying to figure out our capacity to handle all the students who are on campus first,” Blossom said, “and figuring out if (the student-athletes living off campus) can work out not as much as the teams that are on campus, but have a limited, set number of days and hours when they can get strength training. We want to provide them with something if we can figure out a way to do it safely.”
—Contact Jennifer Toland at jennifer.toland@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @jentandg.
6:22 AM
By Jennifer Toland
Telegram & Gazette Staff
Posted Aug 11, 2020 at 4:47 PM
Updated Aug 12, 2020 at 6:36 AM
WORCESTER – Last month, when the Patriot League announced its decision to cancel competition for the 2020 fall season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Holy Cross student-athletes were obviously disappointed, but still hopeful about returning to campus, reuniting with their teammates, and working out and practicing with them while following health and safety protocols.
Holy Cross had planned to welcome students back to campus this fall and offer courses in online, in-person and hybrid formats, but Monday the college announced it would shift all learning to a remote model for the fall semester and allow a very limited number of students to live on campus. In a letter to the HC community, Rev. Philip Boroughs, Holy Cross president, cited concerns over the uptick in coronavirus activity, stricter state guidelines and delays in coronavirus testing as factoring into the decision.
Holy Cross director of athletics Marcus Blossom met remotely with his staff Monday following the announcement and to discuss its impact on HC’s student-athletes.
“We’re disappointed,” Blossom said Tuesday, “not in the decision, but in the outcome, how (the pandemic) has all played out. You have to understand the bigger picture, but these kids have lost out on a lot over the last five, six months. They’re a resilient group. They’re smart, and they know other people are suffering more than them, but it doesn’t diminish their pain.”
Among the limited number of students who will be allowed to live on campus this fall are the 78 total members of the men’s and women’s basketball teams and men’s and women’s ice hockey teams, Blossom said. In its announcement Monday, Holy Cross said it would permit a limited number of athletes who need proper training to compete in the winter season to live on campus in the fall semester.
HC also has a total of 164 members of the indoor track and field and swimming and diving teams that compete during the winter season. Holy Cross has more than 700 student-athletes in all.
“Knowing there are only limited spots on campus, we weren’t going to be allowed all of our winter sports teams,” Blossom said. “We ended up getting approval for the men’s and women’s basketball and men’s and women’s ice hockey teams for reasons being smaller rosters, the numbers — 78 is more palatable for the college to be able to take us on — and also their schedules are intact right now. Even though it may get pushed back, it’s still intact, and even if it gets pushed out, they missed out on the summer training that’s really required to compete. Even if (the schedules) get pushed back, they’re going to need the fall to practice to be able to compete whenever that is.”
The Hockey East Association, of which the HC women’s team is a member, announced late last month its intent to play the 2020-21 season while prioritizing league competition and the completion of a regular-season schedule. The league’s start date will be released at a later date.
The HC men’s team is a member of Atlantic Hockey, which has yet to make an announcement regarding the upcoming season. The Patriot League said in July it would make decisions surrounding winter and spring sports competition at a later date.
″(The men’s and women’s basketball and hockey teams) were relieved, excited,” Blossom said. “Obviously the other winter sports are disappointed, but they understand because the majority of track season doesn’t start until January, and in swimming we weren’t likely to compete until January either.”
In his message to the HC community, Boroughs said Holy Cross will reopen campus “when we believe it is safe to do so. We will continue to monitor the virus and public health guidance in order to make final decisions on the January term and spring semester as they approach.”
Blossom said that the HC student-athletes returning to campus this fall will move in at the same time as other Holy Cross students who will also live on campus. Classes begin Sept. 1.
For the members of the returning teams, Blossom said training protocols are in place such as proper distancing and a limited number of athletes allowed at one time in the weight room. They will be COVID tested on a regular basis, Blossom said, and masks will be worn during all workouts.
“We’ll start out in smaller groups,” Blossom said, “and we’re going to graduate our intensity levels and not start out at the maximum number of hours per the NCAA. We’ll gradually increase our hours over the first four weeks, so when it’s time to get to 100 percent intensity, we’re going to make sure they’re ready to take on that load to prevent injury, and with smaller groups, hopefully prevent the spread if one person were to contract the virus.”
Blossom also said there are a number of HC student-athletes from other teams who plan to live off campus this fall. Whether they will be allowed access to Holy Cross facilities for individual workouts has yet to be determined.
“We’re trying to figure out our capacity to handle all the students who are on campus first,” Blossom said, “and figuring out if (the student-athletes living off campus) can work out not as much as the teams that are on campus, but have a limited, set number of days and hours when they can get strength training. We want to provide them with something if we can figure out a way to do it safely.”
—Contact Jennifer Toland at jennifer.toland@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @jentandg.
