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Note: This story appeared in the Summer 2020 September edition of CoSIDA 360 Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.
Cover Story
Survive and Advance
Reflections on how we've adapted and lessons we've learned during COVID-19.
by Doug Vance – CoSIDA Executive Director
No one has escaped being affected in the ugly world of COVID-19. Lives have been disrupted, stress has been elevated, and concerns about the future weigh heavily on everyone.
You may not be infected with it, but the coronavirus has impacted almost every aspect of your life.
In a profession defined by creative people who can adapt to almost any challenge, CoSIDA members have relied on their instincts in finding solutions to conditions that have seriously tested their resolve and durability.
Compounding the problem is the fact that college athletics is also facing an economic crisis that has certainly touched SID offices across the U.S. and Canada.
To gain a better understanding of the survival strategies employed due to this painful shift in lifestyles, CoSIDA 360 reached out to a random sampling of members to seek their insights.
Gene Cassell of Washburn (right) shows what it looks like for his family navigating work and school from home.
How has the health crisis impacted you the most?
Joe Browning, UNC Wilmington: “We’ve had to make adjustments in family schedules, social interactions, dining choices and recreational priorities. We think intentionally about every second, minute and hour in each day.”
Gene Cassell, Washburn: “Not knowing when sports (and normal life) will start again. My wife, Regina, is a senior professor at Washburn and we have two boys in high school. All four of us being home at once was a big change. But, it was good to slow down, have dinners at the table and work in the same area.”
Denise Thompson, Big Sky Conference: “It has impacted me in terms of travel. I would have gone on vacation, visited friends and family on the East Coast, and attended athletic events. While that may not seem like a big deal, my spring schedule revolves solely on travel from January through June almost nonstop.”
Jolisa Williams, Shaw: “Working from home has been different. With no sports, it has been a challenge finding content to keep our fan base engaged. I’ve been trying to stay busy by gathering records, updating staff bios and preparing for spring if our fall sports are moved.”
Jayson Ameer Rasheed, Lincoln: “As an introvert, this has impacted the way I socialize with friends and family. It has given me a reason to stay home and not be criticized for it. Once live sports returned, I was okay.”
Charles O’Brien, Stevens: “It’s forced me to be more intentional about almost everything. From a work standpoint, we had to create a clear content strategy unlike anything we’ve done and to be purposeful in our communication with coaches and student-athletes. I’ve been more intentional about being better and consistently reaching out to friends, family and colleagues because face-to-face visits are just not taking place.”
Steve Fink, South Carolina: “I’ve been impacted the most in staying connected to my staff, other athletics department administrators, the coaches, the student-athletes and media. While emails, text messages and Zoom calls all have their place, there is no substitute for face-to-face interaction. I like the people I work with and miss the camaraderie, being able to regularly bounce thoughts and ideas off each other, and the conversations that occur organically, not just about work, but about other things as well.”
Donna Turner, Northern Illinois: “The biggest impact has definitely been at work, being unable to go to the office, connect with staff, have off-hand hilarious conversations about everything. I really miss the lunches with my staff.”
How are you coping?
Browning: “If there’s one thing this business teaches you, it’s how to handle adversity. We are adept at working through issues and solving problems. Coping with the current crisis has meant making adjustments — not turning my life upside down and allowing the virus to define it. Creating a consistent daily routine of work, exercise and family time has helped offset the mental challenge.”
Cassell: “It was tough at first because in 22 years, I have had my schedule set by our teams’ events and our sons’ sports schedules. It was difficult to walk downstairs to start working and finding the right groove not only for myself and wife, but for the boys and their online schooling needs.”
Kenny Klein, Louisville: “I’ve missed personal interactions and national events in which I see friends, but my time has been filled with virtual meetings, preparations and trying to offer coaches, staff and student-athletes to our local media through regular virtual press conferences. My concern is mostly with staff members that are the victims of reductions or furloughs, and related to the “what-ifs” of what’s ahead of us.”
Thompson: “I’m getting better, but it hasn’t been sunshine and rainbows. I have cried myself to sleep and been a zombie throughout the day at times. It has been a mixture of the unbelievable added workload, social injustice, living alone and across the country from family, and trying to show a good front. Allowing myself to focus on the positive things has helped me to smile more often.”
David Plati, Colorado: “I have two escapes: I’ll go for an hour drive late at night or at dawn, and I spend at least one hour almost every day calling up songs on YouTube and having my own private concert. The neighbors have yet to complain about my singing.”
Rasheed: “I think mentally, I’m doing okay. I really missed live sports, but I’ve enjoyed time with family.”
Stayson Isobe, Northern Arizona: “While it’s been a struggle, I’ve made it a priority to focus on the positives. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the uncertainty, and the moments of getting overwhelmed are often when I’m focusing on the what-ifs. It’s then I shift my focus to what’s important — that myself, my family, my friends, my staff and our student-athletes are safe and healthy. Right now, that’s all we can control.”
Donnie Smith, Southeastern: “There have been a lot of ebbs and flows. Thankfully, I have many people to connect with and talk about life. That has helped me keep a positive attitude when I’m down.”
Fink: “I try to get in a run most every day and I use that as a stress reliever which helps me cope. However, I had my knee scoped in May, so I have been relegated to walking every morning. It’s not quite the same, but it gives me time to gather my thoughts, reflect and give thanks for all the good things in life.”
Turner: “Trying to keep a routine and especially make time for myself whether it’s trying to cook/bake new things, getting out for a daily walk, discovering new YouTube channels, shows to binge or finding new mini-ways to pass the time at home.”
Gallery: (8-31-2020) Survive and Advance, CoSIDA 360
What is your biggest personal success story during these months of disruption?
Browning: “I’ve become closer to my family and completed several household projects. With restaurants and theaters shuttered, we’ve spent more quality time together. I painted the exterior of our home and added magic to my repertoire. I’ve always been intrigued by it and purchased a beginner’s magician kit that raised money for COVID-19 relief.”
Thompson: “I produced my first Football Virtual Kickoff. It was a project that made me want to cry while piecing together and also when it aired. It allowed me to use my knowledge to create a high quality two-day broadcast. My staff played an important role in it coming together and I couldn’t have done it without them.”
Plati: “I have now seen all 456 episodes of Law & Order, and in most cases, two or three times. I feel very close to the late Jerry Orbach.”
Williams: “My biggest personal success has been building a better relationship with God.”
Rasheed: “My personal successes are two-fold: I was able to read two books and land a new job — Assistant Athletic Director for Communications and Marketing at Lincoln University.”
Isobe: “I’ve faced challenges as a content creator. One of my initiatives was to enhance our engagement with our alumni. With Zoom as a primary means of communication, I thought what better time than now to reconnect with former student-athletes. I developed a flashback video series with the help of my assistant director, Cody Bashore.”
Fink: “My daughter got married in July and I was able to get her down the aisle without crying like a baby. There was a lot of stress and anxiety over if we should go through with it. We thought that by July the virus would be minimized. Changing the date was problematic, so we decided to go on with the event. We had to change venues as the church was closed, lost a couple of bridesmaids, a groomsman and the number of attendees was about 60 percent of what we had initially projected, but we pulled it off, had a memorable event and thankfully, no one got sick! It turned out to be one of the best days of my life.”
Turner: “Finally getting to the salon after six months — ha ha! Seriously though, just overall proud of how I’ve powered through everything while keeping a mainly even keel and rolling with it.”
What are your major concerns going forward?
Browning: “I’m proud of the way our staff and administration has prepared for the beginning of classes. We’ve spent the summer formulating a back-to-school plan to ensure a safe, healthy environment for our student-athletes.”
Cassell: “I think the unknown. Conferences and all divisions are making decisions and some of those are dependent on the COVID-19 numbers. We’re making plans on “if this happens, then we do this” and “if that happens, we’ll do that” but it’s all fluid and they have to be able to be adjusted.”
Klein: “The unknown is the most difficult for which to prepare. So much of what we do is based around schedules for our sports and those remain fluid. Covering condensed schedules in the fall would be fine, but overlaying fall sports on top of spring sports would dramatically change what we are able to do with logistical nightmares. It would be like the November fall/winter and March winter/spring overlap periods on steroids.”
Thompson: “SIDs are being asked to go beyond their job description to create content some don’t have the experience to do. My concern is that people’s roles are turning into “digital content producers” in order to keep up on social media with the schools/conferences that actually have people in that role.”
Williams: “My personal safety and also, if our conference and my institution decides to move forward with fall sports in the spring. What will that look like for me considering I am a one-person shop? How will we abide by the safety concerns of social distancing and ensuring that my student workers and myself are safe during events?”
Rasheed: “Returning to a post COVID-19 world. While they are working toward a vaccine, it will probably be several years before a vast majority of people will be comfortable with it.”
O’Brien: “I have a couple of concerns. The obvious one is putting our safety in the hands of 18-22 year olds. The decision to move fall sports to spring, while understandable, seems to be moving ahead without the input of communication professionals to discuss points like schedule spacing, overlapping events and so on. Speaking for myself, I can’t wait for that work to resume, but there comes a point, where it’s not physically possible to do certain things. The only way to deal with that is to continue to be at the planning table. Without fall sports, and the potential loss of spring seasons, I’m fearful some will think we are expendable.”
Fink: “The biggest concern is what happens if we don’t play sports for the foreseeable future? Since that’s out of our control, I think one of the bigger concerns is how we accommodate the media, knowing that their face-to-face interaction with the student-athletes and coaches will most likely be non-existent. How will we efficiently and effectively use technology to provide weekly media availabilities, post-game pressers, pool photography and videography, etc., to give the media the opportunity to cover our team while maintaining the safety protocols?”
Turner: “Keeping my staff intact and trying to keep my office involved with every aspect we can to show how valuable we are. Making sure I’m involved in communication plans.”
What would you have done differently in March knowing what you know now?
Browning: “We’ve managed the events of the last five months fairly well. My only regret is not doing more for our graduating student-athletes last May. We recognized them in several ways, but they missed out on much of the conventional fanfare in the matriculation process.”
Klein: “Since we all use laptops and are on the road frequently, we were well prepared for working remotely. Most have stepped up their knowledge of Zoom, Microsoft Teams and other virtual platforms that we may not have used as much previously but will likely be using more moving forward, even after the pandemic passes.”
Plati: “Not knowing when we’d return to work, I would have planned a 3- or 4-day getaway in advance that involved my golf clubs.”
Williams: “I wouldn’t have done anything differently in March considering what I know now. I have been social distancing and wearing masks when out in public.”
Rasheed: “I am not sure if I would have done anything different. I just tried to attack each day like a new one, work on projects that I would normally take a couple summers to complete. This just sped up the process.”
O’Brien: “I would have taken a little more work home with me. I brought plenty with me, but I would have added things like my streaming computer to work on lower thirds and so on. We were a little more on the reactionary side of things, so I would have planned out our content strategies out a little longer, considering we will be without sports in the fall.”
Fink: “I probably would have taken advantage of stay-cation opportunities when things were slower in April or May. I’m an optimist by nature and kept thinking things would get better, the numbers would go down, and we would be almost normal by now. While I took a little time off, there were still a lot of things that came up and, as we all know, we’re on call 24-7.”
Turner: “Probably would have taken on a “bigger” more ambitious project — like starting on that book I’ve been thinking of writing or archiving my entire personal photo library.”
What is the best advice you have for others in CoSIDA as we continue to move forward?
Browning: “The key word that CoSIDA members hang their hat on — adaptability. No one knows what the next day, or months, will bring. We must be ready to meet the next challenge head-on and be campus leaders. We can demonstrate our value by working through problems and offering strong solutions to make our departments and universities better.”
Cassell: “SIDs by any name have always been ones who can adapt on the fly. There is uncertainty in college athletics and the rest of the country, but we continue to be the amazing group of people with the ability to react and mold ourselves and change as the day-to-day ‘normal’ changes to something new seemingly every day.”
Klein: “Take it as it comes and don’t be discouraged when plans go awry. It’s happened all spring and summer, and will likely continue for many months longer. Focus on what you can control. Take care of yourself and your family. We’ve all got personal challenges, but we’ll eventually get through it all.”
Thompson: “Just because we can’t predict the future, doesn’t mean we can’t do our best to plan for it the best way we know how.”
Plati: “Though this doesn’t apply to me, in our business we spend so much time away from our families. For those with children, embrace this opportunity to spend more time with them. Growing up, we all would have loved to have had more time with whichever parent was always working to support us.”
Williams: “Stay positive, continue to be uplifted by friends, loved ones and family — and pray!”
Rasheed: “Be flexible. In times when things can change on a regular basis, be willing and able to adapt.”
Isobe: “I know the thing we are stressing as a department is making sure that our communication within our department is strong. We want to be prepared when we return to normal and the only way to do that is to forge ahead. Relationships are more important than ever, not only within your department, but within CoSIDA because the pandemic is affecting us all.”
Smith: “Embrace the grind. Ask for help. We will get through this year.”
O’Brien: “We will all get through this. Working through these challenging times will make our profession stronger and make us stronger professionals!”
Fink: “Take care of yourself. Enjoy being with your families, which is rare in our industry. Keep the faith that there is a higher power in control. Try not to stress over things out of your control. And for any CoSIDA member who has a daughter — start saving now!”
Turner: “I think just hang in there. Take care of yourself first and do everything you can to stay in touch with people — from your colleagues and coworkers to coaches and more.”
Any other thoughts you like to share?
Browning: “The last few months have been unlike any other in my 40 years in the business. I’ve witnessed colleagues losing their jobs, individuals being furloughed and entire staffs being restructured or let go. It just shows how fragile life can be sometimes. Throughout it all, though, we’ve had each other to lean on, and I’m grateful for the many friends in this profession who continue to reach out as we search for a way to get back to normalcy.”
Isobe: “Stay positive! We’ll all get through this and we’ll emerge better individuals and professionals because of the circumstances we overcame.”
Turner: “We in this business are uniquely prepared for situations like this. Part of the reason we get into athletics is because no year, no day, are the same — at least that’s what’s kept me engaged for all these years. This is certainly one for the books but no one is having a ‘normal’ year. Also remember, our lives are disrupted, but we’re not on the “front lines,” we’re not saving lives and I hope and pray, everyone and their families are safe and healthy.”
SIDEBAR
Personally
by Josh Cornwall – Agnes Scott College, Assistant AD for Communications
The last few months have offered their fair share of challenges.
My wife and I were a few weeks removed from finding out we were pregnant with our second child when the world got crazy in early March. At that time, we obviously didn’t know what the summer would look like or that we would be still in a pandemic in September, welcoming a child.
Josh Cornwall - “The hardest part of this pandemic was during a three-week stretch when I may or may not have had COVID-19.”
As many can relate, both of us working from home with a suddenly-bored toddler was less than ideal and we’ve each had to make sacrifices in productivity to maintain a positive home environment. We established priorities and took the position that some things are more important than writing another story.
The hardest part of this pandemic was during a three-week stretch when I may or may not have had COVID-19. Looking back on it, all of the signs were there but because the situation was still so raw and evolving it was never confirmed.
Testing in Atlanta was really hard to come by at that point and mostly reserved for those who were already in poor health. For a man in his early 30s, getting a test for symptoms that didn’t necessarily require hospitalization was nearly impossible.
Mentally, it’s been an ebb-and-flow situation. When I was sick I was worried about everything and everyone but me. I think that’s a pretty natural reaction. I’d be lying if I said I was doing okay during those few weeks though.
I’ve dealt with anxiety issues in recent years stemming from some tumultuous times at work, but I’ve been able to connect with others pretty routinely during this time. Everyone is adjusting differently, but even those with the strongest mental fortitude could use a break from this bizarre reality. Finding someone you can talk to is important, especially now.
It took about two and a half months to physically feel like myself again, but I was really anxious to return to work once the symptoms started to fade. I only had a few days to process spring cancelations before I got sick, so I used mid-to-late April to finally tell stories about our student-athletes. It was an emotional process for all involved, but it gained us a lot of local attention that’s normally reserved for bigger programs.
I think it was cathartic for our students and staff to get those stories out there.
Looking toward the future, I’m worried about my colleagues and the industry. I often speak to and sometimes even challenge decision-makers about the importance of communications.
We’ve seen a troubling trend of institutions making rash decisions in regards to their athletic communications staffs and I wish I could get in front of more people to show them why they need to be more strategic. College communicators are the most important people on campuses during this pandemic because institutions will risk really harmful long-term effects if its stories go dark.
I would have been more cautious in my approach to in-person interactions if I could start over. In terms of work, I would have been more diligent in making sure those final home games were special.
I want to encourage everyone not to worry, but we all know that’s impossible. It’s an unprecedented time.
What I would advise is to use this time to find a way for a healthy separation of work from your personal identity. Because so many of us are extremely passionate about this profession it’s usually one of the first things that come up in conversation. The term SID becomes interwoven into our identity.
But if I’ve learned anything during this time it’s that my job has nothing to do with my personal worth. At the end of the day, it’s something that I do and not who I am.
WEB BONUS
“Personally, this coronavirus couldn't have hit at a worse time for me professionally”
by Sam Atkinson – Gallaudet University // 2020-21 CoSIDA President
The months since the pandemic hit represent missed opportunities and moments.
I was excited for my oldest daughter [Clare] this spring as she was completing fifth grade and all of the activities that were lined up for her at school. It has been tough to see her miss those events and moments due to the coronavirus.
I had my share of professional moments stripped away, but we understand everyone is dealing with this virus. Collectively, we should remember why we took needed precautions to cancel events and switch to a remote environment in order to save lives.
I feel more distanced from my work place after six months of remote work. There are days I never leave my house and often it feels like Groundhog Day. Sometimes, it just feels like I’m simply going through the motions.
I’ve not handled the impact of the health crisis well. As anyone who has raised children knows, it is tough to be a parent, spouse, teacher and employee all at the same time. When my daughters were doing remote learning it was difficult for two working adults to manage getting kids on Zoom calls and logged in for school work while also doing your own work from home.
This coronavirus couldn't have hit at a worse time for me professionally.
I was at the start of a four-month window where I was going to lead the NCAA Division III men's basketball national committee into Atlanta for our second-ever joint championship with Division I and II (the first since 2013).
Serving as the committee chair for the second year in a row, I was set to conclude my committee service work by presenting the 2020 NCAA Division III men's basketball national championship trophy to the winning school in Phillips Arena on April 5. Then in June, I was primed to receive the CoSIDA presidential gavel from Herb Vincent in Las Vegas at the 2020 CoSIDA Convention and become only the second CoSIDA President from a Division III school. Even though I was able to give a virtual acceptance speech I was left hollow by not having that moment to stand on that stage to represent the college division members in our organization.
Professionally, ascending to the CoSIDA presidency was a major accomplishment. While it was not the speech I had written years prior and not the location I envisioned (sitting in shorts on my back deck in Ellicott City, Md., over being in Las Vegas ballroom) it was still quite a professional milestone.
I've also become more handy around the house (plumbing projects, storage and car projects), it has been great being a dad 24/7 to my two beautiful daughters and being around them daily.
There are unknowns [about the coronavirus] even after six months of being locked down. I worry about the future of collegiate athletics and what’s ahead. What will our new normal will be once we start playing games. I’m concerned about our profession, the financial health of their institutions and if our members will keep their jobs.
I’m fearful of the difficulties we will face once we return to our offices. The one silver lining that has helped me is knowing we are all dealing with the same issues. This is not isolated to one region or state. It impacts us all and we need to work together to navigate through this.
It would've helped if the country locked down immediately and we started wearing masks in March to control the spread. We wouldn't have completely stopped this virus, but taking stricter precautions early would've made an impact and saved lives.
I think back on that weekend in late February when I was part of the NCAA Division III men’s basketball committee when we were in the process of selecting the field and forming the bracket in Indianapolis. There were rumblings about COVID-19 concerns but things didn't escalate until a few days later when Yeshiva University reported a positive case on its campus. Yeshiva was slated to play in Baltimore on March 6 on the campus of Johns Hopkins University and after several calls between the participating schools, host institution and the national committee we decided to have no fans at that venue that weekend.
That’s when the coronavirus got real for me.
I attended the opening day of the tournament in Baltimore and it was surreal seeing the safety precautions Johns Hopkins took. If I knew what I know now, I would've wanted more social distancing and masks for the media, workers and participants.
The following week, the third round of the tournament had more venues prepare to host games with no fans but when the NBA news hit on Wednesday night (March 11) that was the domino that would eliminate March Madness. On Thursday, I was driving to Newport News, Va., to serve as a site representative at Christopher Newport University for the third round of the tournament.
As I traveled, updates flooded in from around the country with news of other cancelled tournaments
I had a bad feeling once I arrived at CNU. Hobart College was in the midst of its Thursday practice when its SID, Ken Debolt, seated at the scorer's table, yelled down to ask if I received the late-afternoon NCAA email. I quickly checked my phone and saw the news of the tournament being canceled.
That was a gut punch. While the decision was ultimately made by the NCAA, it was heartbreaking to inform a head coach and student-athletes that their season was over and they will not be competing with a chance to advance to the national quarterfinals in Fort Wayne, Ind.
I was in a daze for the next 24 hours as I processed what was happening. Things didn't truly hit me for another few days and it has taken me a long time to recover. In fact, what happened still weighs heavily on my mind.
I hope our members understand they are not alone. There are dedicated individuals working on behalf of the CoSIDA membership to advocate on behalf of the athletic communications profession. We are here to support each other and be a sounding board or a shoulder to lean on during difficult times.
We will get through this together.
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