The cancellation of spring term on campus has had a huge impact on the athletic teams at Union College, but everyone is doing their best to stay connected and motivated. 

The Field Hockey Team has team meetings once a week on zoom. They are also paired with a different teammate each week, where they Facetime each other to catch up individually. If you head over to the Union College Field Hockey Instagram, you might catch one of the team members taking over for the day. Their takeovers show how the ladies have been spending their time at home in quarantine. 

The Football team and Men’s Basketball Team have also been staying connected with Zoom. The teams have had team meetings with their coaches to catch up and talk about what they are doing at home. 

The Softball team is making use of Zoom, holding weekly team meetings with their coaches. The group has also been keeping in touch with a group chat. You might be lucky enough to catch some of them on TikTok making fun videos together. 

The Volleyball team has followed the trend with weekly team Zoom meetings. They have also participated in the Dutchman Splash, an at-home twist on the annual Dutchman Dip. The Dutchman Splash helps raise money for the Shinebarger Memorial Scholarship at Union College. The team has also participated in the “pass the ball” challenge on social media to show that their passion for their sports and teams overcomes any distance.

The Men’s and Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country teams have been holding weekly Zoom meetings with their event groups and coaches. Some members of the team stay connected on running apps that track their training and allow their teammates to support and motivate them even though they aren’t together. 

The Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving teams have been participating in a weekly trivia night hosted by their head coach on Zoom. The team also stays connected through their team group chats on Snapchat and GroupMe. Like the Field Hockey team, members of the Swimming and Diving team have participated in Instagram takeovers to show how they are spending their time at home and answering questions about their team. 

The Women’s Tennis Team has also competed in a team trivia game on Zoom. They have also created a virtual competition amongst themselves. Each week they can get points for Facetiming a teammate, making a TikTok together, or participate in the Dutchman Splash. At the end of the spring term, those in first through third place will win a prize.

The Women’s Basketball team has been staying connected through Zoom. They have weekly meetings as a team with the coaches, another meeting by class with the coaching staff, and sometimes the team meets as a whole without the coaches. 

The Golf team also partakes in weekly team meetings on Zoom. They have participated in the “pass the ball” challenge on Instagram and are looking forward to the upcoming Fall season. 

The Women’s Hockey team has been engaging in plenty of Zoom calls as well. They also participate in weekly team meetings with the Union College Athletics Sport Psychologist, Dr. Wally Bzdell. 

The Women’s Soccer team has been keeping up with all the TikTok and Instagram challenges. They also hold weekly team Zoom meetings and keep their group chats active constantly. They have been working hard to help find a new head coach for their upcoming Fall season. 

Every team is making the best of the situation and continuing to grow closer together, even though they are far apart. Dr. Wally has been keeping all of the athletes connected and educated during his weekly meetings. His goal is to offer another avenue for the student-athletes to stay connected to one another, the college, and develop skills that can help them on the field, off the field, and in their professional careers beyond Union.