When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S., the entire sports world went silent. No games, no practices, not even team conditioning was allowed in person, leaving everything on hold for multiple months. Now, nearly a year into the pandemic, sports and other outdoor activities are finally beginning to start up again with all the necessary safety precautions being put in place.

Unfortunately for students participating in the 17 club sports on campus, they’re going to have to wait a bit longer to pick up where they left off, as talks are still happening about how to move forward.

“It doesn’t seem like with everything going on that we’re going to have any sort of season as far as this school year which is really sad for students, especially our graduating seniors who missed their senior season,” said Sport Club Advisor, Michael Dominguez. “We’re trying to do whatever we can to get them something for at least a little bit of the school year.”

Dominguez went on to explain that he’s consistently communicating with the athletics department on campus, as well as sport club advisors from other campuses all over California, to make sure that resuming team and club sports will be done safely and efficiently.

“Right now, there’s not a single school that I know of that’s practicing on campus because of COVID rules, but some people are getting close and some schools right now are allowing conditioning with up to 10 people in an outdoor space and other precautions,” Dominguez said. “So it seems like, as we get into the red tier, that will be the next step.”

A lot of the main struggles these clubs are facing aren’t from the logistics of resuming, but holding on to the team chemistry that was built before the pandemic.

“We can’t practice, or have games, so we are trying to meet on Zoom every other week to stay connected as a team,” said Captain and President of the Women’s Club Soccer team, Mackenzie Patefield. “Team cohesion is a huge factor that determines if we have a good season or not, so I am trying to make sure the girls stay as connected as possible so when we can get back on the pitch, it will feel as if we never left.”

This feeling of separation is happening in all aspects of life, not just on the field, and the team presidents and advisors are doing the best they can to make sure their athletes stay involved.

“My greatest fear is that we drop students. That those who haven’t thrived in this atmosphere aren’t going to come back,” Dominguez said. “We’re trying to reach out and do all that we can to keep them engaged and a part of the team so that when we can come back, they can get back to doing what they love.”

While the season may be on hold, all 17 sport clubs are accepting new members for the upcoming school year, where hopefully, they will be allowed to compete again.

“We always need new players, especially since we’re losing a good chunk of our roster due to having a lot of graduating players,” Patefield said. “If you want to join club soccer, please find our Engage page, or feel free to email me [email protected] and we can get you hooked up.”

Dominguez also emphasized this fact, and added that one of the most common regrets they hear from club athletes is that they didn’t join sooner.

“The hardest part is taking that first step and sending that email or reaching out to that club president,” Dominguez said. “We’re always looking for more students, especially now more than ever.