Extra Year, Master Dreams
Another season makes a difference academically
Liv Sewell
A Division I athlete plus COVID-19 — an equation which doesn’t seem like it would work.
However, due to COVID-19 and it’s impacts at Colorado State and around the country, an extra year of eligibility was granted to student-athletes who were affected during the 2020-21 season.
“The students who were on rosters during COVID who were impacted by participation were given an additional COVID year,” said Becky Orr, executive director of student-athlete support services. “So, a student-athlete has five years to compete in four seasons, and we’re at the end. We’re starting to get to the end of that window (of COVID impacted students). But that’s essentially why they got the extra year of competition.”
But, in this case, six years minus four seasons of play is simple math. Two extra years of schooling which could be used. For many student-athletes on that path, it was a no-brainer.
“I was fortunate to come in with a lot of credits,” Kennedy Stanford said, a fifth-year in volleyball. “In my grad plan I was able to condense it down to three years. So, with that, it was a known factor that if I finish in three or three and a half (years), I’ll have at least one more semester. Then, once COVID came along, I would have two or three more. It was one of those situations where I figured, might as well get my master’s lumped in with it.”
Stanford is a journalism major who has her eyes set on a master’s degree in sports management (M.S.M); a popular choice for student-athletes around CSU.
The program is solely online, another tool which helps aide in the tight schedule of student-athletes.
But, for those pursuing a major which requires more coursework, the extra year of eligibility opened up even more doors.
“Coming in I thought I was going to do engineering in five years for undergrad but then, (in high school), I got AP credits, so I didn’t have to miss practice,” Lars Mitchel said, a sixth-year in cross-country. “(Because of that), I was going to graduate in four (years) and I had the redshirt under my belt. With COVID hitting as well, I had those extra years also.
“It made a lot more sense to do a master’s in engineering, even if it took longer than a year, I knew I had this eligibility under my belt.”
Mitchel and Stanford, from polar-opposite sports, both found a way to take advantage of the circumstances.
And it’s a pretty common decision for many.
“There’s a few paths that students are opting for,” Orr said. “Some of them are graduating in four years and transferring to another school to start a master’s program. Some of them are staying at CSU to try and complete a master’s program. We have a couple of one-year programs, others are looking for opportunities with graduate certificates.”
It made a lot more sense to do a master’s in engineering, even if it took longer than a year, I knew I had this eligibility under my belt.Lars Mitchel
A master’s degree can be daunting, and it continues to be but one option athletes could get out of this. After all, a certificate in business management or communications pads the resumé.
The math continues to add up.
And, along with the less-than-ideal situation COVID-eligible athletes walked into, the conditions only brought them closer.
“(We’re connected as) COVID freshmen,” Stanford said. “It was a weird experience in and of itself, with being in the dorms and going through quarantines. So, I think that our group of fifth-years that are still here from volleyball, football or basketball and all that, it feels like we’re a pretty tight-knit group.”
Along with the opportunity for further schooling, the extra year helped an athlete, whose seasons were cut short twice, get a second chance.
Michael Mooney was afflicted with many season-ending injuries during his seven years with the Rams, and the reality of running another season continues to be his driving factor.
“If we didn’t get the COVID year of eligibility back, I’d probably be done by now,” Mooney said. “I wouldn’t be able to see how much I can improve post-surgery. So, it’s cool to have the extra time, get back where I want to be and see how much more I can improve from there.”
New beginnings and endings come out of something unclear, just like a game. A new opponent and a new game plan.
The new game plan for many student-athletes in their fifth-year seems to be pursuing a post-graduate degrees.
“There are a bunch,” Stanford said. “It’s kind of interesting because there’s a chunk of my class that’s still here. All four of the seniors on the volleyball team are fifth-years. So, there’s a lot of athletes who I know who have taken their fifth-years and people who are in the sports management program because it’s only a one year program.”
A community which they feel now was built off the 2020-21 season and for some, it changed their perspective on the sport.
More specifically, the why.
“I think it made us reflect on why we’re running,” Mitchel said. “It was a long training block where you just have your teammates and your schooling around you. Introspectively I was very comfortable. The team was still having a lot of fun with it because we’re all running for the right reasons, and really enjoyed being part of a team with each other.
“Not having competitions and sanctioned events going on makes it tough because you don’t have your calendar full, but it didn’t matter because, I still got to hang out with Michael (Mooney).”
While the competitive seasons may have been cut short, their growth, both as athletes and as individuals, had no expiration date.
“The main thing people felt during COVID was probably a little bit of loneliness,” Mooney said. “We’re like a family. You’re separated for that amount of time and everyone’s struggling a bit with it and, when you come back, it makes you closer. It’s nice to have that realization that we miss out on things, but to know we’ll come back together.”
In the end, it wasn’t just about adding to their athletic careers—it was about finding a way to make that time meaningful, no matter if it’s five, six or seven years.
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