By Harry Minium
Never have the nation's colleges and universities jammed nearly every sport into one season, and there's good reason for that, said Old Dominion University athletic director Wood Selig.
"That's because it's a terrible idea," Dr. Selig said. "You burn out your staff. It's tough on your fans. It's an overload to everyone in your department."
Yet that's exactly what ODU and hundreds of other schools are doing this winter and spring. In all, 14 ODU sports teams have played so far this winter and 10 will continue into the spring.
ODU's football team will also begin spring practice on Tuesday and host its annual spring game on April 3.
College athletics shut down 11 months ago when the pandemic began to spread. ODU's spring sports stopped playing about a third of the way through their schedules and athletes were sent home and continued their classes online.
Nearly all schools also canceled the fall sports season as well, except for the ten Football Bowl Subdivision leagues.
Playing 14 sports is taxing an ODU athletic staff that's already lean by FBS standards.
"You don't just roll out a ball and say, 'play ball,' " Selig said.
Every game must be staffed by a game manager, scorekeepers, scoreboard operators, public address announcers, sports information staff, camera operators and ODU's sports medicine staff. There needs to be a liaison with game officials and visiting teams and, at some events, security. Groundskeepers are needed to make sure the fields are playable.
Rick French, ODU's associate athletic director for operations, is in charge of ODU's master schedule. When there are cancelations or time changes because of weather or other issues, he must get the word out to everyone.
Rick French, associate AD for operations
He is one of four authorized game managers, and that means he's also attending a ton of events while juggling the schedules.
In spite of all of the hard work, I've heard no grumbling from ODU's staff, and that's in large part because of the nature of working in college athletics.
"You've got to love it to do what we do," French said. "It's a passion.
"Our primary focus starts with student athletes. Our motivation is knowing that they're finally getting a chance to play. Our motivation is also with their families. This has been hard on them, too. It's been hard on everyone."
I'm most familiar with ODU's sports information staff and will tell you it's already been tough on my friends there. Assistant Athletic Director Eric Bohannon, who works primarily with the football team, worked five non-football games last weekend.
Assistant Director Rebecca Gaona wrote seven game summaries last weekend and Associate Director Grant Gardner wrote six. And that's in addition to putting out press releases, handling interviews and working social media.
Bohannon said everyone is working hard but enjoying every minute.
"It's good to see so many of our athletes out there competing again," he said.
Having 15 teams train at the same time has created a logjam in ODU's workout and training facilities at a time when the University is strictly enforcing social distancing.
Athletic director Wood Selig
It's also strained ODU's multimedia and broadcasting staff. Video from every home event is being streamed online this spring and that means video coordinators Boyzie Hayes and Paul Briggs are working a lot of events. Sports information and marketing are hiring free-lancers to fill in when needed.
"We're sometimes streaming three or four events simultaneously, which is something we've never done before," said Tina Price, associate athletic director of creative and video services. And the streams are getting bigger numbers than usual. More than 1,300 people watched a recent men's soccer exhibition with West Virginia.
Scott Johnson, ODU's associate athletic director for sports medicine, has seven full-time people working for him, plus two temporary hires for the spring. But even with the temporary help, some athletic trainers are covering two events in one day.
His staff also does COVID-19 tests for athletes and staff members.
"What we're going through now is not easy," Johnson said.
Selig made the decision early-on to forego selling tickets to spring sports events. He decided to throw open the gates and let everyone in, within the limits set by state officials for social distancing.
"We wanted to encourage people to come out, watch our games and enjoy themselves," he said.
And despite cold and wet weather, that's what fans have been doing.
An ODU baseball game with Norfolk State drew 243 fans last week, just short of the limit of 250 for outdoor events imposed by state officials. Nearly 200 people attended a women's soccer game and lacrosse and field hockey have also drawn well.
"People want to get out of the house," said Senior Associate Athletic Director Bruce Stewart. "As the weather improves, we expect those numbers to go up."
Selig realizes how much he's asking of his staff and said everyone performed magnificently last weekend, when ODU hosted ten events. The University will host 37 events over the next two weeks, French said.
"No one in their right mind would draw it up or design what we're trying to accomplish this spring," Selig said.
Women's lacrosse coach Heather Holt
"But we remain committed to providing as many competitive opportunities as we can deliver. What you'll see this spring is our commitment to allow all our student-athletes across the board to compete in their respective sports.
"We've learned in the last year that from a mental health perspective, it's so important for our kids to practice and compete. They are willing to do almost anything to maintain that ability to compete. They're ready to get after it."
Even when the weather is awful.
ODU's women's lacrosse team was one of the first to compete this spring and the circumstances were daunting. The Monarchs hosted VCU on Feb. 12 in a driving rain with temperatures dipping into the mid 30s.
The game was originally scheduled for Richmond, but with ice on the turf there, a decision was made to play in Norfolk just four hours before game time. Drew Jacobs, director of athletic facilities and events, made quick phone calls to get staff in place. Greg Smith, associate athletic director for facilities and event management, and Mike Conrad, the athletics grounds supervisor, got the field ready.
Lacrosse coach Heather Holt told ODU's senior athletic staff that she appreciated everyone's efforts to play and that her girls "loved" playing. They hadn't played in 11 months, she said, and they weren't going to let a little rain keep them off the field.
That speaks to how eager ODU's athletes are to compete.
"That's the factor that can't be lost to any of us, just how much this means to our student-athletes," Selig said. "Not just to athletes at ODU, but also those across the country.
"This is what they've trained for their entire lives. It's extremely meaningful and valuable for them."
Women's tennis player Tatsiana Sasnouskaya
You don't have to say that twice to Kyle Battle, a senior baseball player from Glen Allen, Virginia.
Battle was having a dream senior season last spring before the pandemic shut everyone down. He was batting .367 and had five doubles, two triples, three home runs and 16 RBIs.
If he had finished the season like it began, he likely would have been selected in the Major League Baseball draft. As it was, because of COVID, the draft was trimmed from 40 rounds to five and he went unselected.
"I was on a hot streak and was hearing from a couple of teams already," he said. "If the draft hadn't been limited to five rounds, there's a good chance I would have been selected last year."
Fortunately for Battle, ODU baseball coach Chris Finwood asked him to return this year. Although all seniors were given an extra year of eligibility, that didn't mean every senior in college athletics got another chance to play.
Given scholarship and financial limits, thousands of coaches across the country had to make difficult choices.
Battle calls himself a "COVID Senior," as opposed to a redshirt senior, because of the unusual circumstances.
He graduated last year with a bachelor's degree in sport management. The additional year has allowed him to begin work on his master's degree.
It's also given him a new perspective.
"Sports is important to all of us, but the safety of the general public had to be the top priority," he said. "I understand that. I'm not the only one out there. A lot of athletes missed out on opportunities.
"I love just being back on the field with my guys. Whether it's 80 degrees or 30 degrees, it's just great to be out there again."
Contact Minium: hminium@odu.edu
Minium: ODU's Fields and Stadiums are Crowded with Athletes Joyful to be Playing Again
