by Siobhan Richards

KINGSTON, R.I. — July 16, 2020 — URI Club Sports met an abrupt end to their seasons after the COVID-19 pandemic sent students home and canceled all activities back in March. 

For lacrosse, sailing, equestrian and gymnastics, spring break is typically spent training and attending tournaments across the country, but little did they know that those matches would be their last of the season.

Sailing Head Coach Moose McClintock recalled the moment he and his team found out. 

“As we were driving home we’re all going over the George Washington Bridge at the same time and we get a tweet from the sailing association canceling the entire spring,” McClintock said. “I gotta tell you the kids were devastated.” 

The Sailing team had just started their spring season in late February and competed in a few regattas prior to the shutdown. The team was just starting to get into a rhythm as they practiced over break. 

“It was amazing,” McClintock said. “Everything just came together and it was very positive and we got a lot of work done and everybody was about as excited as you can get.”

When the Men’s Lacrosse team heard the news they struggled with it as well. The team was coming off winning the division championship for Division 2 in the Continental Lacrosse Conference in April 2019. After maintaining their roster from last season as well as adding new recruits, the team was ready to go. 

They competed in a tournament in Nashville, Tennessee, where they played against the top-ranked teams in the nation. 

“We were the biggest underdogs in the tournament. We actually lost every game going 0-3 at the tournament, but each game was like extremely close, with our closest game being against the number two team in the nation,” Vice President Zach Miklitsch said. “We had all these good things going and then us landing and coming back from Nashville was like the last time I saw the whole team together.” 

COVID-19 may have put an end to their season, but the team is still hopeful as they continue to practice at home. 

“[We are] staying as hype as possible given the circumstances was our motto that we kept going for,” Miklitsch said. “I know the players were bummed about everything, but we are recommending you know to continue with workouts on your own at home, keeping your lacrosse stick in your hand and stuff like that throughout the summer to make sure you stay up and don’t get lazy. We’re training and assuming we’re winning the conference again next year.” 

Some club sports, such as the Equestrian team, have had a harder time continuing their training at home. 

“A lot of our members ride at barns closer to home,” said president Raechel Griffin, “I know for me personally because of the kind of barn I ride at and the state I live, the barn was closed for a while, so I was out of the saddle for quite some time. Unfortunately, riding horses is pretty hard to replicate at home, I know that myself and others had been working on other types of training in the meantime.”

The team, which had multiple seniors qualify for regionals, were heartbroken after the cancellation. 

“Qualifying for regionals is extremely difficult and a great honor, it could take a rider their whole four years of college to qualify so a lot of us only really have one shot to make it,” Griffin said. “This was extremely disappointing for those individuals to not be able to compete in a spot they so very well earned.” 

It has been especially disappointing for the seniors who were unable to finish out their final collegiate season. 

Gymnastics Captain Kennedy Stovall remembers their last meet at the University of Connecticut in March before the virus. 

“It happened without warning, we had a meet right before spring break and that was [the seniors’] last meet and they just didn’t know it,” Stovall said. “I think it came as like a shock to a lot of them. I know a lot of them were devastated and I think they were just sad that they couldn’t have their last senior year.”

Nationals was set to be held in Providence this year in April. According to Stovall, the team was looking forward to a good turnout and support from the stands since it was going to be held in the state. 

“I think we’re gonna have a really big hometown crowd. I know a lot of people from URI were gonna come up but that didn’t happen, so I think a lot of people were sad about that. Everyone was so excited, and we were trying to get a lot of people to come to watch us,” Stovall said. 

Additionally, the Gymnastics team created a farewell video for their eight seniors as well as gift bags to thank them for their dedication throughout their four years. 

The cancellation affected the seasons of 15 out of the 17 club sports. Only Men’s and Women’s Ice Hockey were able to complete their full seasons.

It is still unclear how club sports will operate in the fall, however, most teams are hopeful for a season next year. 

“We’re still trying to be very supportive and look as positive as we can while trying to prepare for this next season unless we are told otherwise,” Stovall said. “I know that our coaches are constantly talking to us and they’re just like leaving little reminders to stay positive.” 

This story was written by Siobhan Richards, a rising junior majoring in Public Relations, Sports Media, and Journalism at the University’s Harrington School of Communication and Media.