Practice social distancing. Limit in-person contact. Zoom as much as you can. For the past year, health experts have advised us to fly solo. But for those who have spent the greater part of their lives on a team—such as Harvard’s varsity athletes—the concept of self-isolation has proven exceptionally difficult.
In the fall, the College welcomed first-years to campus. Newly minted athletes patiently waited to take their first steps onto the field. While they anticipated some restricted practice time, athletes were unaware of when these practices would start or what they might look like. By October, all 42 of the College’s varsity programs attained some level of in-person practice, in line with Massachusetts’s Phase II of reopening. According to the Associate Director of Athletics, Timothy Williamson, permissible athletic activity included group sizes of ten or less and a limit of two hours of athletic activity per day, while in-person team meetings were prohibited. Harvard’s varsity programs also complied with the general Ivy League playing and practice season regulations for fall sports.
For Binney Huffman ’24, a member of the varsity squash team, these guidelines completely transformed her sport. “Squash is usually played with others on court, but with the COVID-19 restrictions last semester, we couldn’t do that,” she told the Independent. “Practice mainly consisted of us soloing on court by ourselves.” Similarly, the men’s Varsity Lacrosse team looked different last semester, according to George Alvarez ’24, whose first team experience at Harvard consisted of only nine freshmen and four coaches. “We had a ton of one-on-one time with the coaches which doesn’t normally ever happen when the whole team is there,” he said.
Adapting to the new normal was not an easy feat for freshmen on campus. Andrew O’Berry ’24, another member of the men’s varsity lacrosse team, described initially struggling with the absence of older teammates to pave the way: “It was hard for the first couple weeks because we were trying to figure things out without any leadership from older teammates.” In regular times, the burden of navigating life as a first-year college athlete is eased by the guidance of upperclassmen. First-year athletes last semester also contended with the fear of contracting COVID-19. “One of the hardest parts was worrying about getting COVID-19 and having to stop practicing for the minimal amount of time that we were allowed to practice in the first place,” Alvarez ’24 recounts. If someone on a team tested positive, players and coaches would have to subsequently quarantine.
However, amid all of the difficult adjustments last semester, first-year athletes were able to find the good in their new normal. Practicing with such a small group afforded players the valuable opportunity to receive individual instruction from their coaches. “It really gave me a chance to just get better,” said Alvarez, who was able to build his technical skills as a goalie this fall in such an intimate and focused environment. “The ability to have one-on-one time with our coaches really allowed us to better ourselves.”
But the best part of practicing last semester was simply getting to play. After months of quarantine, Harvard’s athletes were eager to walk on the field again. “Getting to play some sort of organized lacrosse after not being able to play since March was awesome,” O’Berry reflected. “Everyone was just really excited to be back out on the field and part of a team.” Huffman, who struggled to find court time in the early months of quarantine, was grateful for the opportunity to practice: “After quarantine, where most of the squash courts have been closed for so long, it was just nice to get back on the court and play. Especially on campus with some teammates.” The opportunity for first-year athletes to play their sport again seemingly outweighed any hesitation about modified practice.
This spring semester, seniors are back on campus, in addition to juniors who enrolled last semester and a small group of sophomores approved to stay in Harvard housing. Practices will follow the same guidelines as they did last semester. There are three upperclassmen and three freshmen on campus from the men’s varsity lacrosse team. “There are only six of us,” said Alvarez. “We are working hard without instant gratification but knowing the hard work will pay off in the end when we really play again.”
The Independent reached out to several varsity coaches who did not respond by press time.
Grace von Oiste ’24 (gvonoiste@college.harvard.edu) considers herself a varsity spectator and looks forward to getting back on the sidelines.