Loss of season affects many in different ways
It has been almost a month since the spring collegiate sports were canceled due to the coronavirus.
The news was delivered on St. Patrick鈥檚 Day, and everything happened so fast.
For a quartet of local individuals invested in collegiate sports, the shutdown affected them in different ways.
In this piece, they share their unique first-hand experiences.
鈥橧t is a very empty feeling'
For Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus Director of Athletics Lou Zadecky, he sensed a shutdown may be ensuing but was also helping Fayette host the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Division I and II national basketball championships for both the men and women.
鈥淚 nervously started to think about what may happen,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ome of the bigger events like the NCAA conferences canceled their tournaments and then the NCAA pulled the plug on March Madness.
鈥淲ord came down from the university that we were shutting down and that was it.鈥�
Zadecky spoke about the pandemic.
鈥淭his is a tough time for our athletic staff, teams and especially our student-athletes,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur facilities are closed, and they don鈥檛 have the opportunity to train, practice or compete.
鈥淚t puts a strain on all of us to stay connected, but we are supporting each other.鈥�
Zadecky said working from home has been different but he appreciates his family time.
鈥淭here are a lot of Zoom department meetings, conference calls and more emails than usual,鈥� he said. 鈥淗owever, I get to be with my wife and kids, and without them, this would be really tough.
鈥淭hey make a world of difference for me and I am glad to have them.鈥�
鈥橧t is weird being home and not playing'
For Monessen graduate and Robert Morris sophomore pitcher Dana Vatakis, she is trying to stave off boredom with her regular routine gone.
鈥淚 am trying to find stuff to do to help me get my schoolwork done,鈥� she said. 鈥淓xercising is different as well, and I have definitely had to adjust.
鈥淚t is weird being home and not playing.鈥�
Vatakis started 10 of the 12 games she played in this season and had a 2.54 ERA along with a team-high five wins.
鈥淭hings were going well, and we had a good start compared to last year,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was excited for the rest of the season as we had bonded well together.鈥�
Vatakis said that she will take the NCAA up on the extra year of eligibility that has been offered to the spring sports student-athletes.
鈥淚 have already thought about it,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 will definitely play since I have the chance to.鈥�
鈥橧 shouldn鈥檛 take anything for granted'
Penn State sophomore pitcher Bailey Parshall had already rung up accolades on the young season when it was canceled.
Honored once each as the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week and the Penn State Athletics Athlete of the Week, the Belle Vernon Area graduate had her eyes opened by the current pandemic.
鈥淭he season getting canceled was definitely a wake-up call for me, and after everything settled, I thought about how I shouldn鈥檛 take anything for granted,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t has been emotional for the team, but it has brought us closer.鈥�
Parshall had a 2.51 ERA and started 13 of the 20 games she appeared in with seven wins, eight complete games and 129 strikeouts in 89.1 innings pitched.
The 129 strikeouts ranked eighth in all of Division I.
While Parshall admits the transition to her classes being on Zoom wasn鈥檛 easy, she is making the most of her time while not looking too far ahead.
鈥淚 have been able to dedicate most of my time to school and our strength coach sent out a workout plan for us to keep in shape and get stronger,鈥� she said before turning her attention to the possibility of an extra season. 鈥淭here are still conversations that have to be made and a lot of moving parts (involved).
鈥淚 hope to get the opportunity to play for a fifth year and be able to get a higher education in my studies as well.鈥�
鈥橧t is a down time for everyone'
Joe Volpe of Masontown has been a collegiate baseball umpire for 26 years and had a busy start to his season.
That is, until March 17.
Volpe umpired approximately 20 games during the first month of the season before things were canceled.
鈥淲e were blessed to get a good amount of games in,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is different, and I look forward to everyone getting back to normal life.
鈥淚t is a down time for everyone.鈥�
Volpe worked the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and Mountain East Conference Challenge that was held over three straight weekends.
He also did a Cal U doubleheader and did a loop through southern West Virginia that included doing games with Paul Lancaster of Uniontown with stops in Beckley, Glenville and Charleston.
鈥淲e would have gone to Florida as well,鈥� Volpe said.
With the extra downtime, Volpe is fishing and taking care of his five acres of land.
鈥淚 have a lot of grass to cut,鈥� he quipped. 鈥淚 have also been doing some fishing alone to keep social distance from others.
鈥淎s a sports official, without any baseball, it is just different with this amount of downtime.鈥�
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