Zoom University Hooping
By Dallas Walton
The ongoing global pandemic and battle with the mitigation of COVID-19 have presented many challenges to people of all ages; each person is affected by it in a variety of ways. Even though the pandemic continues to surge through America, life moves on and we have had to adjust through innovation and perseverance to find normalcy in a very precarious setting. Return to school and in-person classes have been approached differently by universities across the nation. However, until proper health and safety protocols can be achieved, many students in the meantime are receiving their education completely online without any in-person interactions with peers at all.
First-year students at the University of Colorado, Boulder for the most part have had the collegiate experience completely online. Learning and adjusting to life within a pandemic called for replacing campus interactions and classes with Zoom meetings and lectures. As I reflect on how things once were, it makes me think about those first-year students who have experienced what should be a new environment, filled with new adventures and relationships that will last a lifetime, yet new memories will be stored on our hard drives rather than our brains.
THE NEW GUY ON CAMPUS
CU men’s basketball player, Jabari Walker, from Inglewood, California is a freshman this year and seeks success both on and off the court. He had a stellar season for the Colorado Buffaloes, and played a pivotal role in the team’s receiving of a bid to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament this season, where they made it to the second round after defeating Georgetown in Round One. I went to Jabari for insight on how life has been for a first year student-athlete in a pandemic on the court and in the classroom.
Most first-year students come to college to receive their education and make new friends. However, a lack of socialization with other students has taken a toll on most, if not all, first-year students. I can see how online-only schooling is having a seemingly negative effect on students that come from out of state. Like many other universities, the University of Colorado has students come from all over both across the country and internationally to further their education. Unlike those before them, these students are now in an environment where maintaining a healthy social life and discovering yourself has become increasingly difficult.
A CU campus that was once bustling with life is now a skeleton of what it once was. Students would spend hours in the common area outside of the University Memorial Center (UMC) or throwing footballs and frisbees on Farrand Field underneath the beautiful Flatirons. In the fall, Fridays and Saturdays could be spent tailgating and attending rowdy CU football games. While winter weekends usually saw many enjoying an exciting night of basketball in a packed CU Events Center, now students spend their days and nights having to enjoy modified versions of social events.
EARLY ADVERSITY
Jabari Walker faced some challenges with scheduling, motivation, and accountability when he first began the all online academic semester. He spoke on his challenges he had to overcome when he was in his first collegiate online classes.
“Being on time for class is harder because no one is taking attendance and no one is forcing you to get up so you have to manage that all on your own. I was able to adjust after my first few months,” Walker said.
When I think about Jabari’s challenges on his first day, it made me think about my first day at CU. I remember trying to make it to all my classes on time while trying to figure out the campus map searching for the right buildings. There was no shortage of people to ask as the campus was full with students, some floundering to find their classes like myself and others who were experienced and just rushing to get to class themselves. These small on campus interactions, from dorm room debacles, to social life on and off campus is where I could develop more meaningful and valuable relationships with my peers and professors. Having these relationships made college far easier to manage as well as more enjoyable, however, these interactions now are rare and non existent today. Jabari did say that even though there were less opportunities to socialize, there was a convenient aspect that came with online classes as he takes into account.
“I can now attend school from anywhere, at home or even the gym.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on university athletics as much as it has academically. Many student athletes have taken a year away from competition, while others like Walker decided to push through and face the unknowns of playing a sport in a pandemic.
Beginning in the summer of 2020 he recalled that, “it was stressful working out every day knowing that we might not even get a season. This stressful situation was amplified by the lack of available gyms to even workout in. Playing outdoors became a common thing to do for basketball players around the nation as access to indoor facilities became as rare as a good seat at an NBA Finals game later in the summer. As decisions to continue on with seasons were made by the PAC-12 and other conferences around the nation, Jabari recalled the excitement he felt at the newly anticipated season saying.
“I had a sudden boost of energy and was excited about the season and being able to showcase the work I put in over the summer,” Walker said as the CU men’s basketball team regained access to facilities and were able to restart a regular workout regime. The more restrictions lifted and health and safety regulations announced, the more hope there was for a season by everyone on the team.
A NEW HOPE
The NCAA granted student athletes in fall and winter sports another year of eligibility to help those who decided to compete in their respective sports this year. Despite all the challenges Jabari had faced coming into the season, he saw this move as more of a positive as he mentioned that.
“It’s like a redshirt year, but I get to play and you can’t ask for anything better than that. In my position, a freshman, having a bunch of seniors over me and learning from them,” he said.
Jabari took the season as an opportunity to gain experience while keeping his mentality to continually improve. As the CU men’s basketball season closed a few weeks ago, as a senior, I miss seeing the CU Event Center filled to capacity going crazy and cheering on the Buffaloes on game day. I miss attending university events and socializing with my peers and family. As many people around the world miss how the things were before the pandemic, life continues and all we can do is reminisce. When I asked Jabari what he looked forward to most as our world adjusts to a new normalcy, he said that new interactions and fans in the stands are of the utmost importance to him. For his sake, as well as all first year student athletes around the nation, I wish that they can have those missed interactions and much more.
