By Petronela Simiuc
March 20, 2020
 
This 2019-20 track & field season had been going very well for me – until my very last competition. Actually, that competition never happened. When I arrived at the track at the NCAA Championships in Albuquerque on March 12, my coach gave me the bad news: the championships had been canceled due to the Coronavirus.

This is a story that I will never forget. But the COVID-19 virus is also the experience of every student, student-athlete, employee -- every human being -- in our world today. In one or another, we are all affected.

So how is the virus affecting us as students? In so many aspects. Every academic major has many different requirements with various implications. Some students do well with online classes, some are disadvantaged. The majority of students, including myself, need a good schedule to keep them accountable and on top of all their school responsibilities. How well they manage their online classes, as well as their free time, can play a big role in their academic performance. It is very easy to become "unaware" of time, get distracted or become unmotivated. Sadly, I truly believe that this terrible event will affect the performance and grades of many students.

How does the virus affect us as student-athletes? It's like when the alarm wakes you up in the middle of a perfect dream. I think every athlete who was in-season during the cancellation must have felt that way.

For me personally, it was heartbreaking to have finally realized a dream, to represent the University of Toledo at the NCAA Championships for the first time in my career, and then have that taken away at the last second. I was one of the athletes who was hoping it was just a nightmare instead of the sad ending that it was. I was there, on the track in Albuquerque, preparing for the race I was supposed to run just 24 hours later. I was there for only 30 minutes, and the brief time I spent on it I could tell what a great track it was, how fast it was! I was in top shape, mentally and physically ready to achieve high honors for Toledo. I knew I was capable. My coaches knew, my teammates knew…

But it stopped right there. I didn't get the chance to show it to anyone else. It was over for me. I am a senior. I will never get this chance again. Now all my stories will start with "I was once very close to…"

My major is public health education and promotion. From a public health perspective, I understand and respect the decisions that have been made during this time. Nothing is more important that our health and safety. It is a hard time for everyone all around the globe. No one was trained for this, no one was ready for this. It's everyone's duty to try to make the best of the situation.

I try to remind myself daily about my goals and visualize them in my mind. When I was training, I pictured myself competing for an NCAA Championship. As I prepare for my professional career, I try to picture myself in the future helping others and being happy in my work.
 
For now, exercise helps me keep my routine, my schedule, and my plans. As I run, I picture the day very soon when everything will return to normal. When it does, we need to be ready go with the flow and resume our lives.

Even if I didn't have the chance to compete in my last competition of the season, I still experienced amazing memories and momentum during the season. Winning three gold medals at the 2020 MAC Indoor Championship was wonderful. My heart pounded each time I heard Toledo's name at the awards ceremony.  Breaking school records after each race gave me even more power and excitement going into the next competition.

Our program created something beautiful this season and I am extremely excited to see what's next for my teammates. So that is the advice I would give to my teammates or to anyone else throughout this crisis: keep thinking about what will come next.

Stay well and take care of each other.

Go Rockets!
 
Petronela Simiuc is a senior on the University of Toledo track & field and cross country teams. She plans to graduate this May.

Previous Rocket Blogs
Saranlak Tumfong Begins Fight Against Cancer (March 19, 2020)
Healthy Ways to Deal with Anxiety During a Health Crisis (March 18, 2020)
A Note From the Athletic Director: Stay Strong Rocket Nation! (March 17, 2020)
How Can We Live Without Sports? For Now, We Must (March 14, 2020)