While most students packed up their bags and headed home for the holidays, a select few remained on campus through the winter for the infamous “J-term,” Harvard’s month-long winter term that houses student athletes. A time typically devoted to skill development and team bonding, this past J-term was rather unusual: indoor dining was banned, indoor athletics events were not open to the general public, and spectators were limited based on the venue and required to show proof of vaccination. How did athletes experience these cold weeks in January before the rest of campus filled with students?
Seniors reflected on what January practice was like before the pandemic. It typically offers “a unique chance to get to train hard with other people without having to worry about other commitments,” shares Matthew Periera ’22 from the track and field team. “In previous years, we would often spend several hours a day in the dining halls after practice for lunch and dinner and have large gatherings and team events outside of practice.”
Traditionally, with a majority of their days dedicated to training and games, student athletes utilized meals as their only free time to socialize with their teammates. Reflecting on their experience this January, Periera and Kirkwood agreed that “a large difference in terms of team bonds is not being able to eat in the dining halls.”
Senior on the Harvard basketball team, Noah Kirkwood ’22, reminisces on having the stands filled with spectators before the pandemic. “A huge part about having home court advantage is our fans and the energy they bring to us,” he articulates.
With a new limited spectator policy and social distance protocols for the January term through January 23, student athletes encountered an entirely different experience. “We had one game with limited fans and just that one game you could tell we had to bring our own energy. Momentum is different without fans because you have to bring your own spirit, otherwise there is no real advantage when youre a home team,” stated Kirkwood.
Harvard teams have also dealt with canceled games and a loss of players due to injury and sickness from COVID-19 amid the surge in the Omicron variant. Additionally, “We had to ramp up our testing protocols and we weren’t allowed to do any team workouts for a while,” Kirkwood says of the basketball team.
However, the lack of a normal season has led athletes to appreciate the little moments. Reflecting on winter training, Owen Gaffney ’25, first-year on the men’s lacrosse team, says, “You could feel the excitement from everyone about being together again after two years of no competition. The energy was always high, and it was a great environment.”
With COVID-19 becoming more of a day-to-day reality, athletes are looking ahead with as much positivity and hope for what is to come.
“I can’t wait to get out there and compete alongside everyone,” says Periera. Seeing improvement in the cross-country program over the past few years, Periera hopes that the upcoming season will allow the team to prove themselves on the track and hopefully lead to a success at the Heptagonals Championship.
“With or without spectators, we are just excited to get back out there and play together,” states Gaffney. The men’s basketball team has improved the team dynamic and managed two wins so far without two of their starting players. With this in mind, Kirkwood says, “I’m looking forward to seeing how we play together as a team and build without those two main pieces.”
Charley Meier ’25, who plays on the women’s lacrosse team, shares, “I’m excited to get back to competing and training for a purpose.” Her goal is for the team to win the Ivy League championship.
Despite the ups and downs of the pandemic, some athletes believe that the Harvard administration has done an outstanding job navigating and fostering a somewhat normal campus environment. In support, Kirkwood says: “The administration, coaching staff, and trainers have done an awesome job with telling us how to move forward with this and compete at a high level.”
As of January 25, 2022, Harvard Athletics has announced a new spectator policy to welcome back guests to all indoor events whilst requiring proof of vaccination and masking. Heading into yet another pandemic year, Harvard athletes are trudging forward and awaiting game time.
Ariel Beck ’25 (arielbeck@college.harvard.edu) and Hannah Frazer ’25 (hannahfrazer@college.harvard.edu) desperately wish they had one of those Harvard Athletics sweatshirts.