I don't think any of us thought that COVID-19 might affect our lives the way it has when the semester started.

Two days before the school announced that we were going to continue the semester remotely, I was on road with Enzo Corigliano, Inwoo Lee, Coach Denne and Coach Terry. We were at the last event of our season, the College Squash Association Individual Championships, at the University of Pennsylvania. The championships ran smoothly without any major issues; the only difference from our normal routine was that we fist pumped our opponents after each match instead of the traditional handshake. Of course, most of the players knew what the situation around the world was, but still, most of us weren't worried about the evolving situation. After a long season, I think we were just happy that the season was coming to an end and we could turn our full attention to school. 

When the announcement was made that we were going to move to remote learning, it was a crazy time. As an international student, I had to decide if I should stay on campus or pack my stuff and head home. The situation felt so unreal, even though I thought that this might happen to us at some point.

Luckily, our coaches helped me to decide what do and after a couple of phone calls back and forth, I decided to head back home to Finland. Coach Denne always says to do what feels right for you, but SLU is something that is not easily replaced; it is my home in the U.S.

In the end, I got my flight on Sunday from Montreal and had five days to pack everything that I needed at home. During those five days, my flight was canceled as the situation in Finland was also evolving. There were a couple of tears and a moment of desperation, but there was always someone who was there for me. 

I spent the next few days trying to see as many of my friends as possible, having dinners and lunches or just hanging out somewhere on campus. All of us were trying to enjoy our last days together because at the end of the week everyone started to realize that we might not see each other until August. Also, I tried to spend some time on the squash courts because I was not sure if I would have a chance to play when I got home. 

After I got home, Finland declared a state of emergency and shut down its borders, and my region has been isolated from the rest of Finland. SLU also announced that we are going to continue remote learning for the rest of the semester. For student-athletes, it is a setback in our career, but as always there is room to learn from the situation and get stronger for the next challenge. Being 4,000 miles away and in a time zone seven hours earlier, remote learning is a challenge but nothing I cannot overcome. Our community is strong; there are professors, coaches and so many others St. Lawrence employees who care about us and are ready to work with us to help us find our way through all of this. Now is the time to ask your friends how they are doing; have Zoom meetings and stay positive. We can get through this. Together. 
 

An hour solo session in our back yard, so much fun after a while!
And yes, it was snowing at the same time. 🥴#stayinghome @SLUsaints @saints_squash @SquashSuomi pic.twitter.com/Oa6pjWtahf

— Sanna Koivumäki (@sannakoivumaki) April 4, 2020

Sanna Koivumäki '22 is a sophomore on the women's squash. 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.