Central Michigan University Athletics
Photo by: Benjamin Suddendorf
Coping & Connecting: Soccer
6/22/2020 10:12:00 AM | Soccer
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Yes, the quarantine and subsequent end to organized training due to COVID-19 has disrupted the Central Michigan soccer program. The fallout from the virus has had an effect on nearly every American citizen in some way, shape or form.
But for the soccer program, the disruption has not been felt to the degree that it may have been with some of the university's other teams, namely those that play their schedule in the winter or the spring, with their seasons ending during a time when teams were eyeing postseason glory and just getting out of the chute.
"I think we were all pretty bummed," said senior-to-be Natalie Belsito of the reaction to the university shutdown in March due to the quarantine. "Obviously it's not as bad as other sports, like they missed out on a whole season."
What the Chippewa soccer players did miss out on, like CMU's other fall sports team, was important offseason conditioning and training, which is often where the greatest physical and emotional strides are made, and teammates bond.
"That grind time where you run and you have 6 a.m. lifts and we work our butts off and cry together over how hard it was," Belsito said. "I don't think in my lifetime I'll ever be worked out that hard, so it was really sad to know that it was my last opportunity to do that."
That offseason time, coach Jeremy Groves, is critical, particularly in light of the fact that 2019 was his first season in charge of the program. The offseason training that began in January was targeted as a time that his program could really take root.
"In terms of everything we've been building and talking about, right from the get-go in January, things were turning, they were working harder in the weight room, working harder in their conditioning and stuff like that," he said.
Still, the soccer student-athletes, like those on every other CMU team, took to working out on their own, implementing plans crafted by strength and conditioning coach Dylan Fitchett.
"The working out part was important," Groves said. "I think it probably helps their mental well-being to do some stuff. But that wasn't my main focus. I think it was, How's everybody doing? Is everybody OK? Academically are we doing OK?"
Groves said that it has helped, from a skill level, that soccer players can accomplish plenty in terms of improvement on their own.
"We probably compare a lot to basketball in terms of what we can do," he said. "We had started a technical protocol with 10-12 technical things that we'd do every day before we started training. I always told them, 'In the summer, this is what you can do to help you technically.'
"It's working on your first touch, your control, your passing, volleying, heading, that kind of stuff. Just basically becoming more comfortable with the ball so when you do play it's a little bit of muscle memory and you kind of understand what's going on. All you need is a ball and a wall. Our sport really is geared to being able to train individually."
Groves has conducted regular online meetings with his players with an emphasis on their mental state and academics. He also had his players keep a journal to chronicle their activities.
"Being able to see each other face to face was really good (in web meetings) and we incorporated the incoming freshmen into it too, which is a little bit unique because you don't really do that that early on (in a typical year)," he said. "I think it gave the girls a release from all the craziness that was going on."
Belsito became the point person for a Tik Tok in which nearly every team member participated, passing the ball to one another virtually. That, and other things, have served as distractions and as a vehicle for the teammates to remain connected.
"I think we've handled it well," Groves said of his players. "Since I've been here, we always talk about that stuff's not going to happen how it should and it's how you deal with those things.
"Obviously this is the biggest extreme you can have, and I think that that message early on applies here in this situation. I think our girls have been pretty good; they haven't been constantly saying, 'Hey what's going on? When are we playing? When are we doing this, when are we doing that?"
That said, there is an understandable eagerness to return to campus and to some form of normalcy with an eye toward the 2020 season and beyond.
"You realize all the opportunities you're missing because of something, and you want to make the most of the ones you get," Belsito said.
But for the soccer program, the disruption has not been felt to the degree that it may have been with some of the university's other teams, namely those that play their schedule in the winter or the spring, with their seasons ending during a time when teams were eyeing postseason glory and just getting out of the chute.
"I think we were all pretty bummed," said senior-to-be Natalie Belsito of the reaction to the university shutdown in March due to the quarantine. "Obviously it's not as bad as other sports, like they missed out on a whole season."
What the Chippewa soccer players did miss out on, like CMU's other fall sports team, was important offseason conditioning and training, which is often where the greatest physical and emotional strides are made, and teammates bond.
"That grind time where you run and you have 6 a.m. lifts and we work our butts off and cry together over how hard it was," Belsito said. "I don't think in my lifetime I'll ever be worked out that hard, so it was really sad to know that it was my last opportunity to do that."
That offseason time, coach Jeremy Groves, is critical, particularly in light of the fact that 2019 was his first season in charge of the program. The offseason training that began in January was targeted as a time that his program could really take root.
"In terms of everything we've been building and talking about, right from the get-go in January, things were turning, they were working harder in the weight room, working harder in their conditioning and stuff like that," he said.
Still, the soccer student-athletes, like those on every other CMU team, took to working out on their own, implementing plans crafted by strength and conditioning coach Dylan Fitchett.
"The working out part was important," Groves said. "I think it probably helps their mental well-being to do some stuff. But that wasn't my main focus. I think it was, How's everybody doing? Is everybody OK? Academically are we doing OK?"
Groves said that it has helped, from a skill level, that soccer players can accomplish plenty in terms of improvement on their own.
"We probably compare a lot to basketball in terms of what we can do," he said. "We had started a technical protocol with 10-12 technical things that we'd do every day before we started training. I always told them, 'In the summer, this is what you can do to help you technically.'
"It's working on your first touch, your control, your passing, volleying, heading, that kind of stuff. Just basically becoming more comfortable with the ball so when you do play it's a little bit of muscle memory and you kind of understand what's going on. All you need is a ball and a wall. Our sport really is geared to being able to train individually."
Groves has conducted regular online meetings with his players with an emphasis on their mental state and academics. He also had his players keep a journal to chronicle their activities.
"Being able to see each other face to face was really good (in web meetings) and we incorporated the incoming freshmen into it too, which is a little bit unique because you don't really do that that early on (in a typical year)," he said. "I think it gave the girls a release from all the craziness that was going on."
Belsito became the point person for a Tik Tok in which nearly every team member participated, passing the ball to one another virtually. That, and other things, have served as distractions and as a vehicle for the teammates to remain connected.
"I think we've handled it well," Groves said of his players. "Since I've been here, we always talk about that stuff's not going to happen how it should and it's how you deal with those things.
"Obviously this is the biggest extreme you can have, and I think that that message early on applies here in this situation. I think our girls have been pretty good; they haven't been constantly saying, 'Hey what's going on? When are we playing? When are we doing this, when are we doing that?"
That said, there is an understandable eagerness to return to campus and to some form of normalcy with an eye toward the 2020 season and beyond.
"You realize all the opportunities you're missing because of something, and you want to make the most of the ones you get," Belsito said.
Players Mentioned
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