A Team Effort - UNC Asheville Athletics Protocols to Combat COVID

Article Written By Bob Rose

ASHEVILLE, N.C.--It's a time like no other on college campuses. Masks, social distancing, and hand sanitizing stations are located at all entrances. Small classes are even smaller, activities are virtual, and residence halls remain a college home, made even cozier. In intercollegiate athletics, the most feared opponent is no longer Gardner-Webb or Winthrop. It's a microscopic virus called COVID-19.

As UNC Asheville student-athletes, coaches and administrators entered the great unknown during a fall semester of unique restrictions and health safeguards, we thought it might be interesting to check in with four Bulldogs representing different areas of the athletic department for their personal perspectives and thoughts during a pandemic and period of civil unrest that has changed their lives.

LIke many universities, UNC Asheville has given its students the options of attending classes in person or online. In many cases, student-athletes have chosen a hybrid approach, taking courses both in the classroom and via Zoom calls. Fall sports schedules have been moved to either winter or spring seasons to avoid the current spike in COVID infections in the area and also to allow more time to implement safety preparations required for athletic practices and games.

We start with Janet Cone, who begins her 16th year as the Bulldogs' nationally respected athletic director.

JANET CONE, Director of Athletics

Previously a long-time women's basketball coach at Samford, Saint Leo, Western Carolina and Mars Hill, Cone has served on the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Committee and was named the 2013 Under Armor AD of the Year. Beyond fielding conference championship teams in several sports, 85 percent of student-athletes have graduated under her tenure.

As a college athletics "lifer," it wasn't surprising to hear her response to what she's missed most during the pandemic.

"Having been a former coach, the day to day of seeing student-athletes and coaches is what I've missed most. Athletics is a relationship business. The bond you establish with coaches, players and staff is what I enjoy most. From March to July, we had very little interaction. While we can't do any 'high fives,' we needed to find meaningful ways to connect."

Beyond scheduling multiple Zoom meetings, the UNC Asheville AD made a point to pick up the phone and call a coach or athlete to talk one-on-one during this dead period. Her mantra was communicate, communicate, communicate.

"I would just ask them, 'How are you doing today? Everything okay?' If anything, I wanted to over communicate!"

For most of the summer, only essential workers were allowed on the Asheville campus. Cone was the only athletic personnel to regularly work from her office in Kimmel Arena.

"It was safe but a little lonely. I told my staff that they didn't have to work at the office. My biggest focus was addressing how to bring back students to campus and be safe. We started phasing our student-athletes back to campus with voluntary practices. Transitioning them back to campus helped us test our safety procedures--wearing masks, staying six feet apart and so forth--so we were prepared for their competitive seasons.

"We were vigilant in following the guidelines from the CDC and other health organizations. Of course, the situation is still very fluid. We might learn something on Monday, then learn something different on Tuesday."

Cone, one of the more innovative athletic directors in the country, also sought the advice of U.S. Marine Col. Todd Ferry, the father of Bulldog soccer player Wes Ferry and commander of Base Camp Lejeune in nearby Jacksonville, N.C.

"It seemed logical to ask someone in the military about how to cope with COVID, particularly since they never closed down and were the first to deal with the challenges. We did a Zoom call with Col. Ferry and some of his key people. He oversees 25,000 young people and we asked him about their training workouts, use of the weight room, how they eat, how and where they sleep, and other issues that are applicable to our situation. It was really helpful and we learned a lot."

For Cone, this pandemic era has caused her to rely on her past experience for guidance. Essentially, she has gone back to the future.

"We went back to our core values. What's our why? It's that we care about student-athletes. It's about earning their trust. During this time, it's critical that we trust each other. We're in this together and transparency is important. Share what you know, because no one likes surprises. It may be tough, but be honest and hold everyone accountable."

While the pandemic has caused havoc in virtually every aspect of our lives, Cone chooses a path of optimism out of the Silver Linings Playbook.

"I think this experience has brought us closer together. Every time you're in something together, there's teamwork and togetherness. Our coaches have really stepped up and led, maybe some who weren't leaders before but now among the best leaders."

It's that teamwork that has seen student-athletes and coaches sacrifice for the common good.

"Our students are highly motivated and have bought in. They know this is what we have to do if we're going to compete again. They've sacrificed for something they love and much of the credit belongs to them."

Cone does admit COVID-19 has severely impacted her athletic budgets, however.

"No doubt, this has been a financial crisis in college athletes. We already had a lean budget and have taken pride in doing more with less. Once COVID hit, we set two goals for this year: We wanted to honor all scholarships for 2020-21 so our student-athletes continue their education, and it was our intent to keep all staff and pay their salaries. We made major cuts to operating budgets and have not replaced staff who have left unless they played a critical role."

She has subscribed to the all-hands-on-deck approach, as coaches from other sports are working a swimming meet or basketball game in the place of game-day staff.
By continuing to fund all scholarships, the Bulldogs athletic department also assists the university, which is dependent on maximum student enrollment to balance its budget as well.

"COVID has affected so many. Some students don't want to return to campus because of health concerns. For others, maybe their parents have lost their job and cannot afford to pay tuition this year. So with 277 student-athletes on campus, their scholarships can go a long way."

Cone does admit that the athletic department still faces a shortfall.

"We need to raise more money to meet our obligations. We're not anticipating fans attending games, so there will be no ticket sales. We have been fortunate that some of our donors have stretched their gifts this year. We're so appreciative."

One somewhat hidden area of concern for Cone is how everyone is coping mentally.

"Even before COVID or Black Lives Matter, I worried about the mental side of the equation. We talk about the grind and how you have to stick it out. But this year is beyond that. It can wear on people. At some point in time, we have to have a very large celebration. I can't wait for the day we can hug people, pat them on the back and take the masks off. But right now, we need to stay disciplined."

Cone voices her pride and support for the social activism shown by Bulldog coaches and student-athletes during this tumultuous time.

"Many of our student-athletes are also leaders on campus. Our athletic teams are made up of young people with diverse backgrounds, whether it be race, economic status, area of the country, family cultures or religions. I think that makes them more aware and understanding, and I commend them for taking an active role in Black Lives Matter, voter registration or some other social movement. They could very well be future leaders in their communities."

Christina Marshall, Women's Swimming

Marshall, a senior on UNC Asheville's women's swimming team, is the Bulldogs' top 100 breaststroker. A biology major with future aspirations to become a veterinarian, she hails from Winston-Salem, N.C. Women's swimming is the school's first sport to return to competition this year, with three early meets under its belt.

The first thing she had to become accustomed to was a new way practicing during a pandemic.

"Our team is split in half for practice. For me personally, I'm swimming in the morning group. We get texts some time between 5 and 5:30 a.m. from the department, asking us health questions. When we get on campus, we have to wear masks until we go into the pool. No more than 10 people are allowed in the locker room at the same time."

Marshall shares an apartment near campus with fellow swimmer Nora Segurola, an international student from Spain.

"For the majority of the time, it's just the two of us. We may socialize a little at practice but we're pretty confined to stay safe."

Since most pools were shut down last summer, she took advantage of her extra time by enrolling in online courses.

"I figured I would take some general requirement classes to get ahead. Plus, it kept me from watching Netflix all day!"

While Marshall has utilized the hybrid offering for classes, she's regularly on campus.

"As a biology major, I need to do my work in the on-campus labs. It's also nice to have that classroom where you can talk to professors. But I do like the flexibility of both in-person and online classes."

Christina does admit that COVID has restricted her access and presented some obstacles.

"The biggest challenge is not being able to connect with teammates. We're so much more isolated, particularly in terms of interacting with freshmen on the team. They have to live on campus and normally we would show them the ropes and make sure they're in our social circles to help acclimate them to school."

However, she expressed her appreciation to the university and her coaches for providing such a safe environment during the threat of COVID.

"I feel like they've done an awesome job. They've crossed their T's and dotted their I's. We all appreciate and understand why all these safety measures are necessary. It also helps that your sport is surrounded by chlorine!"

There has been one interesting byproduct to the isolation caused by COVID. Marshall said it has allowed more time for her and her teammates to stay up on current events and social movements in the country.

"It really has been a blessing in disguise. With this forced quarantine lifestyle, I have paid so much more attention to what's going on around me. My teammates and I are really invested and are participating. And it's been great having such supportive coaches who encourage us to get involved. They've asked us all to register to vote and stress that it's our duty as a U.S. citizen."

Tim White, Head Athletic Trainer

White, a veteran of college sports medicine, enters his second year as head athletic trainer and 10th year overall at UNC Asheville. In a unique partnership with Mission Health, he works under the auspices of Mission Sports Medicine. During COVID, he has benefitted from the hospital's experience and expertise, which he now practices with his three-member staff on campus.

"As soon as our campus closed in March, I was reassigned to work at Mission Health Hospital. My staff joined me in serving as door screeners, taking people's temperatures and asking the typical screening questions. In June, I returned to campus and started developing our protocols when coaches brought back volunteer practices. We developed protocols for the weight room, instituted personal testing and added an educational component for the student-athletes."

It took a village to successfully implement the various safety measures, said White.

"Besides the information provided by Mission Health, we created our policies based on the guidelines of the CDC and recommendations from the NCAA, which continually were updated and changed. In turn, Jay Cutspec, the director of student health services on campus, played an integral part. Our student-athletes are students first, so they interfaced with the campus at-large. If one of our athletes tests positive, he or she is turned over to Jay, who coordinates campus care and is the one in contact with county health officials for COVID reporting. I do think this process has brought our campus closer together."

So, what's White's biggest challenge these days?

"Staying on top of the ever-changing guidelines, definitely. None of us had a background in pandemic management, so we're trying to learn as much as we can and get as much information as we can. Then we must interpret that information on how it applies to athletics and campus wide."

From all indications, UNC Asheville may be one of the most cautious and well-prepared athletic departments in terms of safety procedures.

"It's a little different for each sport. The NCAA provides recommendations in tiers of low, medium and high risk. Lower risk sports only test symptomatic athletes, with some surveillance (random) testing every two weeks. Out of season, medium risk sports like baseball or high risk like soccer, volleyball and basketball require testing between 25 to 50 percent of the team every two weeks. Now for men's and women's basketball, which has moved into in-season with official practices, the whole team is tested every week."

What's particularly impressive about UNC Asheville's program is the caution taken for those student-athletes who might test positive.

"For those athletes, we move them into total isolation for a minimum of 10 days. If they live on campus, they are moved to the isolation dorm. Once that period is over and they have no symptoms for the last three days, then they begin the COVID return-to-play process, which will last for another seven to 10 days when they meet with physicians, take cardiac tests and gradually return to practice. We have learned that this virus can affect the heart, so we take every precaution."

Understandably, White and his training staff work long and fatiguing days as their jobs have grown exponentially.

"It's definitely added a lot of stress and a lot of time. We joke about how our job has gone from athletic trainer to COVID coordinator. We can't interact with our student-athletes the way we used to. We certainly have a lot more meetings. It really is a team effort. We couldn't do it without the help of our AD, health officials, the coaches and athletes. But it's not just us dealing with this. It's every university."

After a while, it's become second nature for Tim and his staff to operate in this new strange world.

"You get used to it. After doing this a long time, I would get home at night still wearing my mask. I'd get out of the car and my kids would ask why I'm still wearing it."

Clifton Bush, Head Women's Soccer Coach

UNC Asheville's second head coach brings a wealth of experience to the Bulldogs. Elevated from assistant coach to the head job in 2019, Bush previously served as an assistant at Cal State Bakersfield for four seasons and Dominican University (Calif.) and College of Idaho for one-year stints. Prior to his coaching, he was a police detective for six years in Caldwell, Idaho.

While it was only one match, Coach Bush said that playing East Tennessee State University before the spring schedule was cancelled last March proved to be helpful for his planning for the 2021 season this coming spring.

"We were pretty fortunate. The ETSU match let us see where we were as a team and individually, and gave us a baseline for this season. It really helped determine what we needed to work on and improve. Last year, we had to fly by the seat of our pants a little because we didn't know everybody on the team. Now we know what we have to implement."

He credits technology for offseason improvement.

"We did a whole lot of Zooming. Our players are from all over the country. We were able to meet online as a team and also did a ton of individual meetings. We could convey to them how we wanted them to improve in their development process.

Like other Bulldog coaches, Bush was inundated by meetings once back on campus in August.

"Head coaches were allowed back two weeks before classes started and were asked to come up with plans on how practices would work in conjunction with the new safety measures. We had to figure out how to train under unique conditions.

Beyond meeting with health experts and university officials on campus, Bush also tried to benefit from professional soccer as well as youth soccer camps and leagues.

"Soccer was the first sport to come back around the world. Women's pro soccer was the first to return in this country. So we certainly watched what they were doing because they had a good early testing base and adopted some of their health policies. In addition, my two assistants are also involved in the youth game, and many of the camps and leagues were playing a month before we started. So, they had some feel for things when they came back to campus."

Initially, Bush and his staff began slow in implementing practices.

"We identified seven pods, where certain players were living with others. We tried to keep these groups in their own bubbles so that they remained virus free. They practiced in seven separate units. Gradually, we moved into the entire team practicing while still observing protocols."

Interestingly, Bush and his women's soccer team treat COVID as though it's their fiercest rival.

"As head coach, we certainly want to beat our opponent and get more wins for our team and our community. But now with COVID, if we put up all negative tests that week, that's a win for us too. Knock on wood, but so far we haven't had a positive test."

Bush also sees social activism in this time of Black Lives Matter as an important educational moment for his players.

"As a coach at this level, you are one of the people helping them navigate this time of life. Whether it's a social justice movement, or just being an 18 to 22 year-old young woman, their voices need to be heard. Some of our players are artists, some are vocal and active in different political groups on campus, so there's many ways to express yourself. The main thing I have stressed is they need to have a seat at the table. That's what I've thrown at their feet. Unfortunately in this world, many will try to marginalize you. You need to find the opportunity to be heard."

Bush also has encouraged his student-athletes and coaches to vote in last Tuesday's election.

"I think it's an amazing scenario that we live in a country where voting isn't utilized as much as it should be. If we can encourage student-athletes--many who are leaders of the campus--then other students will follow them to vote. I'm proud to say that our team was 100 percent registered to vote!"

University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics

A Team Effort - UNC Asheville Athletics Protocols to Combat COVID

Players Mentioned

Christina Marshall

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