‘We’re Back Playing and It’s Awesome’ – Communication and Collaboration Key in Unique Spring of 2021 for Conference Carolinas

This is the continuation of a series of Body, Mind & Soul stories that highlights member student-athletes, coaches and administrators of Conference Carolinas.

GREENVILLE, S.C.- For at least one day last week, life seemed normal in Conference Carolinas.

Like so many years before, the conference staged its Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships. All league members participated and champions (Emmanuel men and women) were crowned at Frank Liske Park in Concord, N.C. 

Sure, the event was delayed a few months, but the Championships went off without a hitch. But don’t tell school athletic directors, coaches or student-athletes that intercollegiate athletics is normal in 2021. Not by a long shot.

Just ask Jennifer Bell, the athletic director at Converse College in Spartanburg, S.C. Between handling her routine tasks required as an AD, Bell’s job description has expanded into areas once unheard of.

Beyond regularly ordering COVID-19 test kits and assisting her campus in contact tracing, she has literally rolled up her sleeves to sanitize locker rooms and bleachers in Sally Abney Rose Complex before every Valkyries home women’s basketball game. It’s both a rewarding and humbling experience.

“When I became an AD, I never envisioned this,” said Bell, who is completing her third year at the helm. “If I get tired, I remind myself that this is what we have to do. It’s definitely challenging navigating through procedures and protocols. Actually, I find it quite rewarding. We have a very small staff and our work doesn’t go unnoticed. Student-athletes and their parents are so appreciative that we’re doing everything possible for them to return to the game experience.”

The key, according to the Converse athletic director, is teamwork--something certainly not a foreign concept in sports.

“We met with our coaches and executive team and told them we have to lead the charge,” she added. “It’s all hands on deck. Everybody has bought in. Athletic trainers created protocols and the student-athletes understood the seriousness. From the very beginning last March, everyone saw this as both a challenge and opportunity. One of the main reasons we’ve succeeded to this point is we hold each other accountable.”

While Bell is relatively new to her AD position, Craig McPhail has overseen Lees-McRae’s athletic department for 11 years. Yet, leadership experience can only go so far in managing your sports program in unprecedented COVID-19 conditions. McPhail, who was nominated for the 2020-21 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) AD of the Year Award by a vote of his peers in the conference, says flexibility must rule the day during this tumultuous period.

“It is a roller coaster ride,” said McPhail, who oversees 23 varsity sports as the school’s vice president for athletics. “We’re shooting at a moving target with a constant state of flux. There’s the constant anxiety of the testing, the planning and late-night meetings to make sure we’re properly following safety procedures. But when you see those student athletes’ faces when they finally can play games, it’s all worth it.” 

On Jan. 13, the Lees-McRae men’s and women’s basketball teams made their long-awaited season debuts in a home doubleheader in Banner Elk, N.C.  It had been 304 days between basketball games.

“Normally I’m not an emotional person, but that night I found myself using a few tissues,” McPhail admitted. “Our women’s basketball team was so excited, running so fast up and down the court. They were shooting the ball as soon as it hit their fingertips!”

For the record, the Bobcat women beat Southern Wesleyan, 73-54, while the men overwhelmed Erskine, 109-77. Yet, to McPhail, the scores were incidental.

“What I’ll remember most was when we announced the test results before the game. The loudest cheers on campus came when everyone learned there were no positive results. It was a very emotional thing.”

Both Bell and McPhail stressed how important communication--with coaches, staff, student-athletes, parents and university officials--has been in creating and implementing an overall plan to operate in this brave new world.

“We’ve had countless Zoom meetings with our coaches and staff over the summer and fall,” said McPhail. “We also have met (virtually) with our Student-Athlete Leadership Team (SALT) composed of team captains, sharing all our information and protocols with them to be absolutely transparent. They weighed in and asked questions. We told them we needed their help. I think it really empowered our student-athletes. Plus when they returned for practices, nothing seemed very drastic since they had been informed along the way. I can’t say enough about their buy-in and willingness to sacrifice for our common goals. It truly galvanized people and the student-athletes owned it.”

Bell said even a simple phone call or text to Converse student-athletes or coaches has meant a lot during the once-in-a-century pandemic.

“I’ve made a point to check in with everybody,” she said. “It was important to acknowledge how difficult it has been for some of our athletes. I’ve told them it’s okay to not be okay. We need to help each other. It’s been amazing to see how our teams have come together and met the challenges.”

Chris Colvin, the second-year commissioner of Conference Carolinas, believes it is exemplary leadership among the schools that has allowed conference member institutions to resume athletic competition despite COVID restrictions.

“I think each of our leadership levels have had to step up and play their role, making the tough decisions that were necessary,” Colvin said. “First, the school presidents had to decide if and when athletics could go forward again. Then our ADs needed to juggle 20-plus sports, having to reschedule contests and oversee their program with student-athletes’ safety in mind.  

“But it’s the coaches who are on the front line. They need to comfort their players when games are canceled or postponed. Then they might need to get them ready to play four games in a week. Coaches have so much attention and pressure on them to be leaders and be there for their players, so I really commend them.”

McPhail also credits the Conference Carolinas’ administrative staff for providing great resources and collaborative communication during these months of COVID.

“Commissioner Colvin provided critical opportunities for presidents, ADs and athletic trainers to meet so we could discuss buying group test cost efficiencies, procedures on game days, allowing spectators at events and so forth. With members based in Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, each state may have different restrictions, so it proved invaluable.”

While COVID has complicated the daily lives of coaches and student-athletes in an unprecedented way, Converse’s Bell believes the unique experience will serve everyone well in their future lives.

“COVID has made this a much more human situation,” she said. “We’ll never take things for granted again. In life as we knew it, there was never a Saturday without something going on. But everything stopped this past year. Now as we return, we need to enjoy where we are. Weight sessions, team meetings, practices and games are all more appreciated.”

McPhail concurs, saying he has witnessed a heightened level of camaraderie on campus.

“The day of the first (basketball) game, many of our coaches for other sports sent best wishes to the basketball coaches,” he said. “I also saw student-athletes elbow bumping with trainers and the excited reaction of our cafeteria workers in the dining hall on game day. COVID has brought all of us closer together.”

In fact, that cooperative feeling has carried over to a larger athletic community. McPhail sees league schools looking beyond rivalries and embracing the opportunity for schools to work together and enjoy the competition more.

“In games that I’ve watched, I think student-athletes appreciate other student-athletes a little more, knowing that everyone is going through the same protocols and sacrifice. There just seems to be better sportsmanship and many more smiles. There's mutual respect and appreciation. We’re back playing and it’s awesome.”

That’s not to say there aren’t significant challenges ahead for every athletic director in the conference.

Understandably, each school faces an inevitable shortfall in their athletic department budget this academic year. Added costs, such as the COVID tests and safety measures, were unforeseen 10 months ago. Reduced revenues from game ticket sales, food and merchandise sales and the like has also affected the bottom line.

Yet, all indications are that Conference Carolinas members are positioned to withstand the financial pressures and survive to play another day.

“We’ve been fortunate,” said McPhail. “We’ve got great leadership in our school’s administration. Also, we’re not like Division I schools. We don’t generate that kind of revenue in the first place. Our alumni director has done a good job of keeping our donors and potential donors engaged and we’re actually 180 percent over our goal.”

At Converse, Bell said she “is keeping an eye on expenditures and only spend on things we really need.” She also praised her coaches and staff for pitching in even if some of their new duties are outside the scope of their job descriptions.

Another challenge on the horizon is the glut of sports competing this spring due to COVID delaying fall and winter sports. It’s a good news/bad news equation, as campuses will be quite lively with several teams playing games while placing additional stress on athletic departments for game preparations and staffing.

Men’s and women’s cross country, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer and field hockey, all normally played in the fall, will compete for the first time in the spring this year.  

“It’s going to be a season like no other,” admits Colvin. “We’ve had to be creative. We’re tying women’s volleyball with men’s volleyball by staging a lot of doubleheaders to minimize sports dates. It will make for some long days, but it will be worth it.”

The Lees-McRae AD agrees with the commissioner.

“It’s exciting but it’s also going to be a real test,” admitted McPhail. “We have one gym trying to play four sports. Same for some of our athletic fields. We also have a SID (sports information director) one-man band and a very limited executive staff. Essentially, it’s going to be a marathon done in a sprint fashion. But I’ve made our vision simple. Let’s get to the contests. The results are insignificant. It’s just a different time.”

Bell faces the same hurdles at Converse.

“Everything starts back this week,” she said. “It can be somewhat overwhelming with a small staff, but I know we’re dedicated to do as much as we can for the student-athlete experience. Our folks are really good at pitching in and supporting each other. I think it will be exhausting at times, but we’re committed to making it work. It’s just a matter of piecing the puzzle together, adjusting game times and coordinating to cover everything. Thankfully, the conference office has also offered to help where they can, and we’ve even had folks from other (Conference Carolinas) institutions offer their assistance when they’re idle.”

Both athletic directors also made a point to praise their athletic trainers, who have shouldered more new responsibilities than anyone in their departments.

“I’m going to a lot of athletic training meetings these days,” said McPhail. “Athletic trainers are the frontline warriors. They’re the unsung heroes among us.”

Converse’s athletic trainers work under the auspices of the Prisma Healthcare System, which has enlisted their services at local hospitals during the COVID outbreak.

“Our athletic trainers are so instrumental in our current operation,” said Bell. “By working under Prisma, they have learned first-hand about the virus and how to screen and test patients. They have brought us back so much knowledge and expertise. They truly are our most valuable players. We need to give them as much credit as we can.”

While everyone is anxious to regain some normalcy in their lives on campus and on the field of competition, Bell believes that the individual discipline and demands required for student-athletes this year to play the sports they love will ultimately serve each one in their future careers and personal lives.

“No doubt, this has been a very unique experience,” she said. “Our student-athletes have proven their resilience over and over again. I think there’s a high level of pride for everyone. The daily screenings, the testing and mask wearing. They would have never gone through this unless there was a pandemic. The wins and losses will fade in time. They may remember a few but what they’re most likely to remember is how they got through it. The bus rides, the social distancing and being part of a team overcoming this huge challenge.”

Bob Rose is a longtime sports public relations executive who has worked for the San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, the NFL Cardinals, Cal, Stanford and other organizations.