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Comeback season: turning a challenging situation into a unique opportunity (full)

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By Chris Puntasecca
MD Student, Medicine
Graduate Learning Consultant and Peer Academic Coach


This is the full article. You can find the condensed version here. This article is intended for Stanford student-athletes.


You put in hundreds of hours of work. You woke up early, watched what you ate, crushed every drill, did every workout, and pushed yourself to the point of exhaustion, over and over again. All the time, pressure, and effort were building up to one thing: the season for which you had been training your entire career. You thought about it every day you biked to practice. You envisioned that championship while day-dreaming in class. The butterflies in your stomach kept you awake at night as you imagined the seemingly endless opportunities in front of you. This season couldn’t come fast enough. But, as it often does, the world had other plans in mind. As public health concerns grew, the list of events canceled and postponed did as well. “It’s just an overreaction.” Worst case scenario, maybe they postpone the NCAA season for a couple weeks. Then March 12th came along with a decision that, for many, was crushing. That championship you had dreamt of for so long, and the season that couldn’t come fast enough – suddenly, they weren’t coming at all.

Those dreams of standing on the podium, putting on the “Champions” T-shirts, and holding up the trophy with teammates had seemed so close. Now, they will have to wait an entire year before being realized. In many cases, those dreams will have to be permanently altered, adjusting for teammates who won’t be returning when all is said and done. Fortunately, this isn’t the end of the road for everyone. The situation is frustrating. For many, “devastating” would be a more appropriate word. But for those of you who are lucky enough to have future seasons to look forward to, the circumstances represent only a setback, not the end of the story.

Across our country, nearly everyone has had their lives altered in some way by the COVID-19 outbreak. At this time, it is critical that we keep our sacrifices in perspective and remember the bigger picture. Having another season in the seemingly far-distant future doesn’t erase the pain of losing one now. The situation is still awful. Hearing the daily news is still emotionally exhausting. But while your dreams are altered and their fulfillment delayed, they need not be destroyed. Focusing on the long term, you can still make something great out of these imperfect circumstances.  

Resilience

You didn’t make it this far as an athlete by rolling over when times got tough. You didn’t get here by backing away from challenges. You got here because of your willingness to push through obstacles and to fight towards goals that others would never even think to pursue. Has your career been perfect? Probably not. Have things always gone exactly as planned? I doubt it. What makes athletes of your caliber different from so many other people is your familiarity with adversity. Like anyone else, athletes are human – we get hurt, we get sick, we make mistakes. We lose games, underperform at meets, and leave seasons feeling unfulfilled. By reaching this level in your career, you’ve proven that you can respond to temporary failures with grace and capitalize on setbacks. These qualities are as important now as ever.

"What makes athletes of your caliber different from so many other people is your familiarity with adversity.​"

This isn’t the first time anyone has lost a season. How many of us have missed competition after suffering an injury mid-way through the season, or worse, before it even began? So let me ask: if you had torn your ACL during preseason, how would you have responded? Maybe you would yell, scream, or cry in frustration. For a week or two, it would feel like everything had fallen apart. But would you give up? As a Division I athlete – an athlete at Stanford – absolutely not. You would do everything you could to come back even stronger than before. You would communicate with your coaches, athletic trainers, and teammates to ensure that you were making the most out of a disappointing situation. You would fight through the adversity, refusing to let a temporary roadblock hold you back indefinitely. After all, that resilience is what got you here in the first place.

Now let’s stop talking in hypotheticals. Your season is over. Now what?

comebackseason_hurdle

You’ve had some time to reflect on the experiences you’re missing. It probably still stings. You probably still get that sinking feeling in your gut when you imagine your season that never came. Having lost a year of my career to injury, I can speak from experience – that frustration will likely last at least as long as the break from competition does. But it doesn’t have to last beyond that. ​

Being a team is more important than ever

When thinking about how to move forward, and how to make something positive of this challenging time, it’s important to remember why you chose to be an athlete in the first place. For many, the camaraderie and experiences with teammates are some of the most important aspects of being a student-athlete. These days, spending so much of your time inside, physically removed from teammates, is draining. Understandably, you might feel isolated while logging into online classes and working out alone. Consequently, it’s more important than ever that you stay in touch with teammates and maintain the crucial bonds you share.

Many people have found solace during this challenging time by leaning on family. You are extremely fortunate to have a “second family” in your teammates. While you may be separated from them physically right now, FaceTime, Zoom, and texting still work. Believe it or not, even in 2020, actually talking on the phone still works, too. Check in with teammates when you can. Ask them how their classes are going. Commiserate about how hard yesterday’s workout was. Hold each other accountable when all you want to do is skip those drills today. Remember how lucky you are to have each other. While nothing can replace real human contact, social distancing won’t last forever. In the meantime, appreciate your second family. Be there for your teammates. And when you need it, remember that they’re there for you.

Time to focus on being a student

During your regular season, your responsibilities involving athletics can often dominate your life. Sometimes the “athlete” in “student-athlete” can overshadow the word before the hyphen. Often, trying to stay on top of all the problem sets, papers, and exams can be an overwhelming task while simultaneously focusing on practices, travel, and competitions. One positive outcome of this situation, then, is a chance to finally concentrate. Competing or not, you have the privilege of attending one of the strongest academic institutions in the world. That fact, combined with the temporary pass-fail model adopted by the university, makes this quarter a unique opportunity to grow academically and pursue courses you might never have taken otherwise.

"One positive outcome of this situation, then, is a chance to finally concentrate. Competing or not, you have the privilege of attending one of the strongest academic institutions in the world."

With so much free time and without the regularity of a practice schedule, it can certainly be challenging to take classes while staying motivated and avoiding distractions. It’s important to acknowledge that you might not always be as productive as you would like when you sit at your laptop. It’s important to take breaks and get some fresh air. And if you ever need an extra push, you always have tutors, AARC advisors, and peer learning consultants here, ready to help you make the most of this strange situation. With a positive attitude and some thoughtful planning, you can take advantage of the academic opportunities offered at Stanford in ways that your athletic schedule would have never allowed.

Opportunity

Opportunity (abstract photo)

In the midst of all this disappointment and frustration, there are still reasons to remain positive, lessons to be learned, and improvements to be made. With championships canceled, the hard work you had already put in isn’t going to pay off yet. Unfortunately, it’s not going to pay off tomorrow, or even next week. So do you give up? Was it all for nothing? You can give up now and, yes, it will all be wasted. Your spot on the podium won’t be left empty. Someone, somewhere, is taking advantage of this situation and seizing the opportunities that come with it. Months and months of uninterrupted training, while far from glorious, are the dream for many professional athletes. Without competitions constantly dictating your day-to-day workouts, you now have a chance to put in work that would have been unfathomable during your regular season.

Championship season isn’t the time for massive numbers of reps or killer workouts, but those tough practice sessions are ultimately the ones that yield the most significant improvements. You now have no excuses but to attack workouts with an intensity that would have been impossible during the competitive phase of your season. You have time to focus on weaknesses that would have otherwise been pushed to the back burner. It’s time to take off all the bandages you put on during the season to hide the gaps in your performance. Be honest with yourself, identify major areas that have been holding you back, and use this extended hiatus to finally address the root of any issues, rather than just covering up the symptoms.

Training in today’s circumstances can be challenging. You might not have the equipment you would regularly be using, have limited access to facilities, and lack the presence of teammates to push you during workouts. When dealing with these limitations, it’s crucial to remember that everyone is in the same scenario. Seasons weren’t just canceled at Stanford. They weren’t just canceled in California, either. Every NCAA athlete across the country is now facing the same challenges of maintaining fitness, getting stronger, and staying motivated during a confusing time. Making the most of this time will inevitably involve creativity. Effective training will require flexibility and a willingness to adjust. As a Stanford student-athlete, you undoubtedly possess these qualities and the others necessary to overcome the obstacles placed in front of you.

For those of you who expected to be standing on the podium this season, hold on to that dream. Let it motivate you every time you’re tempted to skip a workout or cut that last set short. Don’t let someone else take your spot next year. For those who might not have been ready this year to come out as champions, use this break as an opportunity to change that. Student-athletes across the country are currently faced with the same challenges. Take advantage of this opportunity. Let this situation be a reminder to never take a season, a competition, or even a workout, for granted.

"Student-athletes across the country are currently faced with the same challenges. Take advantage of this opportunity. Let this situation be a reminder to never take a season, a competition, or even a workout, for granted."

Most importantly, use this time to take care of yourself. Catch up on the sleep you’ve been missing for so many months. Read something that isn’t for a class. Take the time to finally let that nagging injury heal. Be cognizant of your own and others’ mental health. As a Stanford student-athlete, you have resources available to help you overcome the obstacles you’re facing. Remember this and, now more than ever, what it means to be a student-athlete. A canceled season doesn’t change your identity, and a delay doesn’t have to change the end of your story. That next season is still coming, and all of us are waiting to see what you make of this unique time.

So, what will you make of it? The choice is yours.