Together We Transform Thursday – September 10, 2020
We're BAAAAACK…
More than five months after students were sent home in March, campus reopened for the start of the fall semester on Aug, 24. The familiar sounds of student-athletes in the hallways brought a much-needed feeling of normalcy. Although it is strange not to have our football, cross country, soccer and volleyball teams competing in the fall, we pledge to squeeze the most opportunity out of each day.
Although we aren't in competition right now, make no mistake about it … we're competing.
Our family is back together, determined to boldly march forward into the future despite the specter of dark clouds looming over all of college athletics. Schools across the country are facing mounting budget challenges. Our response to this moment in time will determine our future.
We will soon announce plans for a fundraising campaign that we hope will inspire our loyal supporters to get involved. The reality is that the path that we are on has obstacles unlike any we have encountered before. Our preliminary work toward mitigating the budget situation includes making operational cuts and leaving several positions unfilled. There will be more difficult choices to make in the weeks and months ahead, which is why we need your support now more than ever.
I pledged to our student-athletes, coaches and staff that we would come out of this situation stronger than ever. Although we are staring into a stiff headwind, my resolve has never been stronger to live up to that promise. We can and we will.
Now What?
As our teams have resumed training, the questions revolves around when we will return to competition. The good news is that we will soon have answers.
With fall sports moving to spring (more on that in a moment), our winter sports of basketball, swimming and indoor track are next in the queue. Basketball season was originally slated to begin with games on Nov. 10, but is likely to move to Nov. 25 based upon a joint recommendation from the NCAA committees that oversee men's and women's basketball. The rationale makes sense. Most campuses are scheduled to clear out at Thanksgiving, so disruption for basketball teams will be limited.
Our basketball teams have been training inside Island Federal Arena in individual sessions, but will soon progress to full team activities. Hopefully you have had an opportunity to see some of the photos from the teams' workouts that have been posted on social media, but they don't do justice to the talent that we have.
As for football, the CAA soon will finalize a schedule for the spring. We do know that the regular season will end on April 17, with selections for the FCS playoffs taking place the following day. The team has been working hard and looking forward to "fall ball" in October.
I am extremely confident in our plan for football and believe that we are poised for tremendous success. The spring season, which will be limited to a maximum of eight regular-season games, is going to be a springboard for the fall. Between our returning players and several transfers who we expect to make an immediate impact, 2021 has the potential to be a year to remember.
This has already been a year unlike any other. Each day brings a new challenge but also a new opportunity. Let's make history together.
Keep believing!
Shawn
