Nothing says “Welcome back” like a nasal swab tickling your brain.
That was the uncomfortable sensation Louisville athletes and staff experienced Tuesday morning while getting tested for COVID-19, part of the first phase of the university’s four-phase plan to voluntarily return athletes to campus in preparation for the eventual resumption of live sports.
Advertisement
Athletic director Vince Tyra was first in line at the drive-in test site at Cardinal Stadium, pulling up in his black Jeep and tilting his head back for a doctor to insert a long swab. He was followed by a caravan of football and basketball players, swimmers, coaches and athletic training staff; more than 120 were tested.
It wasn’t exactly pretty, offensive lineman Robbie Bell said, but it’s worth it to be able to reunite with teammates and coaches.
“I’m just excited to be back,” Bell said. “I got tested at 9:15 this morning, and the test, it felt as bad as the videos looked. That was not very enjoyable, but it’s a part of the process of what we’ve got to do, so I mean it is what it is. Got it done. All the guys, I think they got tested today we get our results back tomorrow, and then we move onto the next phase of getting our physicals done.”
To reduce the risk of spreading the virus, U of L is bringing athletes back in waves. The majority of the first group arrived Monday, though roughly 30 were already on campus. Thirty football players and 15 swimmers are present, as are the majority of men’s basketball players and five women’s basketball players. Some basketball players who already have access to suitable facilities in their hometowns chose to remain there for now, but all are expected to be in Louisville next week.
Those who were tested on Tuesday will undergo physical examinations on Thursday to medically clear them for activity. A second round of testing will be administered later this week. On June 8, athletes can start voluntary workouts supervised by athletic trainers and strength and conditioning staff, but not coaches in accordance with NCAA rules. (The exception is swimming and diving, which allows coaches to observe for safety reasons. Coach Arthur Albiero was among those tested.)
Advertisement
So while men’s basketball coach Chris Mack can’t instruct his players or hold in-person team meetings, he can see individuals before or after workouts. After the last few months spent communicating with his players through Zoom calls, the opportunity to finally see them and start preparing for the season is “exciting, challenging,” Mack said in a text message. “The next couple months should tell us a lot.”
In the meantime, athletes are being educated on safety protocols and told to practice social distancing but aren’t quarantined under lock and key. Most of the athletes who are part of the first phase are sleeping two to a room, though the men’s basketball team will have single rooms during the first two phases. Some may choose to get takeout from restaurants or visit public parks. While technically free to come and go as they please, provided they follow state law, athletes are being discouraged from socializing unnecessarily even with their teammates.
Strict hygiene measures will be in place at four U of L athletic facilities: the Schnellenberger Football Complex, Trager Center, Planet Fitness Kueber Center and Ralph Wright Natatorium. No longer will these buildings be gathering spots for players to lounge around and decompress. They’re strictly business now. Staff and athletes will have their temperatures taken before entering, undergo daily electronic symptom checks, wear masks in most areas and practice physical distancing once inside. For example, teams won’t use lifting partners in the weight room, instead limiting one person to each rack. Buildings have designated entrances and exits and are equipped with gloves and hand sanitizer to disinfect areas and equipment between uses.
“Everyone needs to be taking care of each other and create a culture of good habits once they’re back on campus,” Tyra said.
Toya Goodwin, the mother of freshman forward J.J. Traynor, said U of L officials discussed the plan with parents and players in several Zoom calls over a two-week span. Goodwin, who drove from Bardstown, Ky., to help move Traynor into his dorm room at Minardi Hall on Monday, said the process is off to a smooth start. “Wish I had more time with him, but other than that it was all good,” she said. “They are taking all the necessary precautions.”
Advertisement
If all goes well in the next few weeks and NCAA rules permit it, a second group of athletes — 30 football players and 60 Olympic sport athletes — will return on June 15 to begin workouts a week later with additional facilities available at limited occupancy. The third wave would bring back the rest of the football team on July 7, and the fourth would see all athletes return in early August with all facilities open and full practices and scrimmages underway.
Upon arrival, the process will be the same for each athlete: COVID-19 test, physical, a second test, gym access.
Besides concerns over the virus, another challenge is managing workload as athletes ease back into higher intensity fitness regimens. But because U of L strength coaches have been providing athletes with creative at-home workouts and virtual guidance, women’s basketball coach Jeff Walz is confident his players have a solid baseline conditioning level.
“They aren’t sitting around eating Bon Bons,” Walz said.
Bell believes the biggest adjustment is going to be getting used to the new guidelines that will inform every athlete’s daily routine, including filling out a checklist of symptoms at least 30 minutes before arriving at the facility and being escorted to and from lockers and the weight room.
“It’s gonna be really odd just because the entire team, we all hang out with each other outside, we all live in the same apartment complex and because of all this we’re being discouraged from being around each other outside of football,” Bell said. “It’s really cliché and everything, but it’s really true: I’m really excited I get to see my teammates and everything again.”
Nasal swabs, distanced weight rooms and daily checkups — this is the new normal of college athletics, but it’s all happening with the goal of salvaging the sports we all know and love.
(Photo of Vince Tyra: Michael Reaves / Getty)