Kaylee Escoffie-Vilchis: Navigating Sports During and Post-Covid
During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, a time filled with mask mandates, social distancing, and online learning; the uncertainties following Kaylee’s entrance into high school only heightened. Despite this, she joined track during her freshman year. The circumstances of participating in a sports team during and following COVID-19 provided her with two very different experiences.
What was your routine like as an athlete during the pandemic? Now?
While talking with Kaylee, she noted two main forms of participation, stating that “I would go to the zoom meetings and would try to do the workouts that [Coach Schultz] put on google classroom for the first semester”. In contrast, the second semester consisted more of in-person workouts, which she first partook in during mid-March. With precautions still being in place, the team “had to try to distance [themselves] from [their] teammates” and “wear masks when [they] were not working out.” In addition, “before entering the school, [they] had to fill out a form,” which “would ask simple questions such as ‘have you been in contact with anyone with Covid’ and ‘in the past 10 days have you experienced any Covid symptoms?’ Depending on [their] response, either a green circle or a red circle would show up on the screen. Before entering the track, [they] had to show Coach [Schultz] the results of the form,” only being let in if they got a green circle. Practices were held every day and were optional, hence making it easier to connect with the entirety of the team– a small, dedicated group of athletes. In comparison, the workouts now span from 6th period on and the entire team participates in their allotted workouts as a group. Practice is mandatory, masks are long gone, and workouts have changed. There is a greater emphasis on track meets, with at least one a week spanning 2 months compared to the condensed schedule during the pandemic.
How did the pandemic, if at all, subvert or surpass your expectations of being on an athletic team?
“When [she] started track, [she] had no expectations for what it meant to be on a team, this was [her] first time being on any type of sports team.” In fact, she explained that “before [her] freshman year, when choosing [her] classes, [she] put that [she] was interested in joining track,” not expecting that she actually would join. Right off the bat, Coach Schultz was quick to remind everyone that their year would be “very different from what a normal track [season] would look like.” Because of that, she reflects that she doesn’t think “she “ever let [herself] create an ‘expectation’ of what being on a team was,” keeping things to an understanding that as time went on, regulations would loosen and the experience of being on a team would gradually change.
What mental obstacles, if any, did you face with your sport during Covid? Now?
The dominant mental hurdle she experienced was not related to Covid, but rather her speed, remarking that “when [she] joined, [she] was the slowest runner on the team.” Whilst acknowledging the improvements she has made, to this day, “she still wishes [she] could be faster,” especially when accompanied by her slower rate of improvement.
How have you worked/are working to overcome such obstacles?
In regards to her speed, she preached the mindset that with constant hard work, progress would follow. “This gave [her] the motivation to try really hard on each workout,” soon enough, she saw the results and fostered the support she received. To battle against any personal disappointments, she chooses to remain optimistic, telling “[herself that the next day will be better, and if it’s not, the day after that will be better and so on.”
Have you noticed any shifts in team dynamics, attitude, etc. post-Covid?
Her time in post-COVID track proved to create its own set of advantages and challenges alike, with the team significantly increasing in size as the school shifted to in-person learning. “Workouts were [also] slightly different.” In the years following COVID-19, she noticed a drastic change in attitude amongst the athletes, as “during Covid, going to practice was optional. This meant that the people who showed up really wanted to be there. However, the years following, if [people] joined track, [they] had to be there because it was [their] 6th period.” There were many more who evidently did not share the same enthusiasm when it came to participating in practice.
As Kaylee navigates her final year in varsity track competing in the triple jump, long jump, and 200 meters; she knows she will ultimately come out with unforgettable memories, the happy, the sad, and the difficult; all accredited to her leap of faith in exploring the unknown. Good luck to Kaylee on her upcoming track season!