On March 10, we learned that St. Lawrence students were being told to not to return to campus after spring break until at least April 12. At first, there were many tears as we realized we would be apart for an entire month. However, we realized that there were still three days left until we had to vacate campus.

The women's soccer team took advantage of these last couple days to spend time together. We had team dinners and we hung out together at night. Saying goodbye at the end of these few days was hard because no one knew if we would be apart for a month or six months.

Initially, we thought that those of us who live near each other would be able to get together, but with the situation the way it is now, we are unable to get together in person. However, we are lucky because we have access to technology.

Our team is staying in touch through text messages and FaceTime. We are all encouraging each other to stay positive and healthy in this difficult time. We are keeping our minds healthy by staying in touch with friends and spending time with family, and we are keeping our bodies healthy by continuing to work out.

With so many businesses closed, some members of the team are spending a good chunk of their day working out. All of us are continuing to run and are doing the best we can to follow the modified, body-weight workouts our coach, Sinead McSharry, shared with us. These workouts have been helpful since many of us do not have access to workout equipment right now. In addition, some of us are using free training apps that offer core, leg, and arm workouts. Hopefully, we will all be able to stay in shape in preparation for next season.

On the school side of things, I am lucky that most of my classes should not have much of an issue switching to online. However, three of my classes are discussion-based, so not being able to discuss in person is an unfortunate loss. I think that all the professors have done everything they can to modify syllabi and prepare for online learning. The rest of this semester should be an interesting one, but I think it will end well.

Personally, I am worried about what is going to happen next. It seems like the situation is getting worse and worse every day. I am worried especially about my grandparents, since their generation is currently the most at risk. In order to help protect them, my family has decided to stay away from them for the time being to reduce their chances of contracting COVID-19. This is tough for me because I am close with my grandparents and I have not seen them for almost four months. However, I understand that it is safest for them to stay away from people for now. 

I am continuing to stay positive and trying to keep my mind off of the progressing situation by continuing to work out and continue working while I still can. I am spending as much time with my family as I can. My family is passing the time by playing card games and board games.

I hope everyone and their families remains safe and healthy in this difficult time.

Sam Cohen '23 is a first-year on the women's soccer team. This piece is part of a series of stories by student-athletes about how St. Lawrence student-athletes saw their academic and athletic plans change rapidly as the spread of COVID-19 across the nation caused St. Lawrence to make the transition to remote learning instruction after spring break. If you are a St. Lawrence student-athlete interested in participating in this project, please contact Aaron Todd at atodd@stlawu.edu.