Episode Description:  

Today we’ll hear from three senior student-athletes who participated Stetson’s division 1 spring season programs. Sarah Trupp, a member of the women’s lacrosse team will discuss the NCAA’s cancelation of all spring sports with Sunniva Helland-Hansen of the beach volleyball team and Robbie Peto of the baseball team. These passionate athletes discuss their initial feelings about the abrupt loss of their senior season. Looking towards the future they discuss what this all means for their athletic career moving forward. Reflecting on their time as student-athletes they then offer advice to underclassmen.

The students of Stetson University’s Journalism Studio Spring 2020 class have come together to give you Corona College. In our best effort to represent students from each student population we have created a six-episode podcast to open up the discussion about how COVID-19 has completely disrupted our college experience. You’ll hear from commuters, international students, athletes, greek life affiliates, and student employees. We have created a platform for students to be emotional and honest about this unprecedented experience.

Episode Transcript:

Sarah Trupp  0:02  

Hi! thanks for tuning in to the athlete episode of Corona College. Today we’re covering how students at Stetson University had their last flipped upside down as a result of the Corona virus outbreak. On today’s episode, we’re talking to spring athletes at Stetson. We’re going through season cancellations, sudden goodbyes and where we go from here.

To start, I’m Sarah. I’ll be conducting an interview. I’m a senior on the lacrosse team. I’m from New York. So I’m back in New York now. And so far quarantine is boring. I mean, it’s pretty serious how I like where I am, but everything kind of goes on as normal. And then we’ll go to Sunnivah. 

Sunnivah  0:42  

Hi, I’m Sunnivah. I’m from Norway. And I was also or I am a senior at Stetson, and I play beach volleyball. And right now I’m home in Norway, and I come from a very small town so life is pretty much normal, just that I can go to the store. But other than that, it’s just hiking and working out. So life feels more normal being here than what it probably does. So we’re there.

Sarah Trupp  1:11  

To Peto

Robbie Peto  1:13  

I’m Robbie. I’m a senior on the baseball team at Stetson and I’m from New Jersey, which is where I am right now kind of had to pack up quick and drive up here after everything started to happen. So like Sarah I’m in kind of a bad spot with this, lot of cases up here so I’m kind of just trying to stay in the house as much as I can and do some working out when I get the chance.

Sarah Trupp  1:40  

Well then, um, so as we all know, our seasons kind of got canceled. So to start did you guys think, like, once this all started happening, did you think it was even a possibility that we were going to see our seasons get canceled? Or did you guys think we are going to go on as normal because I know a lot of people in my team kind of thought, we were fine. That like certain teams are overreacting to like, what were you guys thinking?

Sunnivah  2:07  

For me, everything happened pretty quickly. We were in California the weekend before everything was canceled. And I remember joking about like the Coronavirus that we were going to be quarantined and that it would be a break. But I was just thinking that it might be like a week or two. And then when it all happened, I didn’t imagine it happening so fast and so brutally that everything just canceled. So I guess I didn’t even have time to process or think until it was already decided that everything was over. So yeah, it was kind of shocking, but also, like it was very serious. I thought like they would never do this if it wasn’t serious. So that was kind of what I was thinking.

Sarah Trupp  2:53  

And did you immediately fly back to Norway? 

Sunnivah  2:56  

Yeah, I flew back. Well, we got to know on Thursday. Friday that school is canceled. And I flew back on that on Saturday. Because Norway that was also a big part was that Norway was taking it much more seriously, or I guess it had developed more over here than what it had in America. So I was talking to my family. And they were like, yeah, they’re closing the borders, and everything is shut down in the country. So and I was just imagining, oh, what if I don’t get home before that happens here. So I was just trying to get the first flight possible. Before going home.

Robbie Peto  3:35  

For me, I didn’t think at first that it would get to that point of the season being canceled. I remember, when we were first kind of hearing about it. Everyone was kind of just thinking that it was the flu and we actually, we actually had a lot of guys who had the flu, probably about a month before the season started when they could have honestly had korone I’m not really sure but I didn’t think it would get to that point. Until I saw that NBA season get canceled on Instagram. Once I kind of saw that I was like, Well, you know, if this you know, money making market machine, the National Basketball Association is getting canceled. I was like, they’re probably gonna end up canceling our sports too. 

And then everything just kind of day by day started speeding up, they cancel March Madness. And once I saw that, I was like, Alright, we’re, we’re definitely getting cancelled. And we were at the field. And we were scheduled to practice and so we’re all out there and it was just everyone was just kind of like, what are you doing here? Like, we know what this is about to get canceled and then coach brought us in right after and Jeff lt or the AD kind of told us what was going on and it just kind of felt like it was. It was like the last day of the season where you got to say goodbye to everyone so quick and everyone’s going home. I ended up staying in Deland for probably about another week because we are still able to access the weight room and the field. Then  everything, you know, day by day, it got more serious and everything started to kind of shut down. And that’s when I packed up and went home.

Sarah Trupp  5:09  

Yeah, I think the worst feeling was that, like, I started thinking that I was all going to get canceled and there was like, probably was split half and half on our team, like, half the girls were like, no, it’s fine. Like, or a lot of people are thinking that it was going to be postponed, which is what the ASUN originally said. But it was like, I remember the worst feeling was like, we just felt like sitting ducks because it was like, I mean, especially like lacrosse was like the IVY canceled. Then it was like Patriot League. And like, these are all like the some of the best teams. And then it was the MAAC and then it was just like, the ASUN wasn’t meeting till the next day. So I remember like it was just like, the worst waiting period because like, I knew it was over but like some people were really trying to have hope and like my coach was trying to be positive, which I understand but it was just like, the worst feeling of waiting and then we met with Jeff Alteir and then our coach after, which was super sad. 

Robbie Peto  6:02  

Now remember, we were supposed to play Penn, from the Ivy League that weekend and I have a few friends on that team. And I looked on Instagram and they were all kind of just like putting up these like sad Instagram stories. And then I had seen that they IVY had canceled their season. I was like, Ah, this is it everyone’s just gonna start slowly canceling everything and yeah, it was pretty crappy feeling. Yeah. And then I think we were so it was Thursday when everything got called off finally. 

Sarah Trupp  6:30  

We had a game that Sunday that was like one of our first big conference games so we were then trying to hope we would get that in and we were like, gonna try and make that like our senior day and stuff. And then it was like, we didn’t even get that. That was just like very, like abrupt and weird ending. 

Um, as far as like moving forward, do you guys like is there a next step for you guys? Are you guys considering like a fifth year or like, like for baseball, I’m not sure about beach volleyball. Are you considering  playing professionally?

Sunnivah  7:03  

yeah, I for me, I mean, I could go back if I wanted to. I know my coach wants me to, but I, I don’t I’m not going to because I have a professional program going forward, which is called, like, it’s like a program for the next generation Olympics. So it’s pretty serious and it’s only two or three girls in the country that gets it so and they just started up this fall. So it’s perfect timing. So for me, it’s just there’s no point in really going back trying to take some classes or play college anymore. But it is kind of awkward right now because normally, for beach volleyball that the professional league is, is international. So every time you play a tournament, you go to different country, or different continent and right now everything is just yeah, we don’t know how long this Corona thing is going to last. So this season is most likely canceled.But yeah, for next season, I’ll I’ll stay here and work with that program. 

Sarah Trupp  8:10  

That’s very exciting. Yeah. What about you Peto?

Robbie Peto  8:16  

I really don’t know right now. So I got noticed, probably about four or five days ago that the MLB draft, which is usually scheduled in June, is going to be pushed back to late July. And usually there’s 40 rounds in the draft. And it turns out being like 1500 picks, I think, kind of calculates out to and now they’re going to shorten it to five rounds, which is like only 150 picks, I think so it’s a pretty big difference.

I have some experience with a draft. I got drafted out of high school, and then I got drafted last year, but chose to come back the stats and then graduate. And so now I’m, I don’t really know, I guess it kind of all depends on what happens with the draft. If I do go in those five rounds, or there’s another kind of opportunity for me with a free agent signing, I really don’t know. But if that doesn’t work out, then I will I will go back and I’ll do my fifth year. And I’ll enter I guess the graduate program.

Sarah Trupp  9:27  

Um, I’m also really undecided right now. Um, I’ve had a couple conversations my coach wants me to come back. Um, and I’m not sure where I stand with lacrosse, like I feel really unfinished and that like, I want to keep playing and kind of get like this senior year like, ending where like, I feel like I’m ready to move on.

Robbie Peto  9:48  

 You want to feel like you left it all out there on the field.

Sarah Trupp  9:50  

Yes

But I also feel like I am ready to like really move on and like, even just like see a different part of the country at least.And I have a lot of friends that are leaving and not coming back. Like I think out of the five seniors there’s only one person that’s really considering coming back.

So right now I’m in the transfer portal so I’m kind of just seeing if there’s like, an opportunity to play it like you know, maybe a more competitive school in a different part of the country or just somewhere that’s gonna give me a really great offer to get a grad degree in a year if that’s possible.

Unknown Speaker  10:31  

Um

Sarah Trupp  10:35  

Do you guys feel like are like summer and fall training was like kind of put to waste? Like for you guys frustrated by that at all? Or did you not really think about it so much?

Unknown Speaker  10:49  

I think

Sunnivah  10:52  

I don’t feel like I it’s a waste because no matter if Corona would have happened or not, they would have been training during that time and to get better but I think what sucks the most is just that everything that you’re just you’re supposed to be in this game mindset and period of the year like you have a planned out year and now suddenly it’s just empty and you don’t even have a close up goal or maybe a far out goal but it’s it’s difficult. I find it difficult to train now with the purpose because I don’t know what I’m doing.  Like in preseason I know that I’m building my body up for season and in season I know that I’m I’m just trying to keep my body healthy. But But now it’s just like what what am I even doing? I don’t know if my next tournament is in May or in August next year, like I have no idea. So yeah, I’m the I have to say. Same thing. I don’t feel like it was a waste because I feel like I you know kind of got stronger throughout the fall and into the spring.

Robbie Peto  12:00  

I think the thing that probably sucks the most is that and I don’t know how it is like for your guys sports and baseball, we’ve kind of played like a fall season and then also have a rare very long spring season. So, I mean, you’re around each other so much, you know, just throughout the whole year and you know, you learn so much about yourself and your teammates and how you guys kind of interacted with each other and you really do become you know, like a close bonded family so just just to see that taken away so quick, I’m not really mad about although, you know, the workouts at 6 am and you know, the late nights and the practices and things like that, it’s just that there’s no tomorrow with the guy who’s next to me in the locker room, like, I’m not gonna be taking the field with him tomorrow. And I think like that the thing that really hurts the most, it’s not the not the work you’ve put in but the you know, the opportunities that you’ve lost because it really just kind of taken away so fast.

Sarah Trupp  12:56  

Yeah, and you’ll never get to play with that group of people ever again.It was so weird because it was like, so many people kind of like left sporadically that you know, you didn’t get to say a proper goodbye and most people just left.

Unknown Speaker  13:26  

Okay, um, last question I was gonna say, like, from having our seasons end early like is there some advice that you guys would give underclassmen because I think this experience was like really different for them. Um, if you want to start or I can start if you want

Sunnivah  13:47  

In terms of like, what I would recommend them doing if this happens to them or more like what they should spend their last years thinking about? 

Unknown Speaker  13:55  

yet no

Sarah Trupp  13:55  

More of like the mindset they should have for like their last year.

Sunnivah  13:59  

I think they’ll definitely appreciate it. I think that there’s a saying that’s like play every game like it’s your last game that was very applicable because it’s like that you never know, truly when it can end like if you get injured or something like this happens or yeah for some people, they they’re not going to continue with the sport so just appreciating every moment of it, it’s probably what I would put emphasis on.

Unknown Speaker  14:26  

Because the world of sport it’s so special but when it’s taken away, it’s it’s it kind of comes secondary to Health and Family and everything else. So not taking it for granted and actually see how privileged we are to do something that we love and and that so many people put in so much work just so that we can play some sport that doesn’t really matter in the big picture. So at least appreciate it when you get to do it.

Robbie Peto  14:56  

For me, it would I would kind of be a saying, I guess that I saw. I’ve heard it before, but I saw it on one of my my friend’s Instagrams. Instead of saying, you know, I have to, like, you know, say I get to, like, I get to go to practice today, I get to go to the waiting room, I get to play game. I think when you think like that, it I don’t know, that’s like what I thought of when all this happened. Like, I thought of all the times I complain that, you know, practice was running late, or you know, I had to wake up at 5am to go work out.

And then I, you know, I think like, I wish that I had that opportunity now, like, I wish I I got to go wake up at 5am and go lift with my team and then after that, go to class, go to breakfast, and then, you know, have practice that. So kind of, you know, what’s Sunnicah said about the, you know, just the whole perspective that just not taking it for granted for sure.

And yeah, just saying, you know, I “get” to instead of I “have to.

Sarah Trupp  15:58  

Yeah, and I think like what I was trying to say to my underclassmen, just same thing as you guys, like, appreciate every moment. And like, try and see through, like all the little things that are frustrating and like, even to the hardest workouts, like enjoying that you get to be there and like knowing that it goes so fast and faster for people like us. Um, and just like, the little things that like you think are the biggest deal in the moment, like realizing that they’re not and like, being thankful to be there and stuff like that. Um, but I think that’s good. 

Unless you guys have any closing remarks to add. I think you guys all added some great stuff, and it’ll be really good in this podcast.

Robbie Peto  16:41  

Thank you for having us. 

Sunnivah  16:43  

Yeah. Thanks for waiting.

Unknown Speaker  16:46  

That’s okay. Enjoy the rest of your day. Thanks, guys. Bye