By Junior Claire Walinga 

“Just being around people you enjoy being around is one of the most important parts of activities,” stated Windom Activities Director Jeremy O’Donnell. Having an activity to look forward to at the end of the day keeps many Windom students going through these difficult times. Volleyball, robotics, and cross country are a few of the activities that took place this fall. This article will focus on the desire for normalcy, persistence, and human spirit, throughout the fall activities. 

During the pandemic, it has been extremely difficult to find normalcy. Wearing masks, social distancing, having less games, and having a limited number of teams at a meet, are all some of the changes that have happened due to COVID-19. “Although the one thing that was normal was the sense of family,” stated Melissa Pletcher. This statement was true for all of the fall activities, whether you are a part of the football team or robotics team you are considered to be family. Staying in or joining an activity gave students a sense of normalcy. While a desire for normalcy drives many of our emotions, it doesn’t completely help us get through tough times. 

Being persistent is hard to do at a time like this, but for most of the students joining or staying in an activity, not being in one was not even a question. Activities are able to give students a sense of normalcy, something that reminded them of earlier years. Allison Letcher said the musical was something that took her mind off of everything that is going on in the world. Just like any other year, coaches and directors are always looking for people to get involved with, with COVID-19 going on it just gave the coaches and directors another reason for students to join an activity. “During these uncertain times an activity can help your mental, physical, and social health,” explained volleyball coach Crystal Fast. Involvement in activities always creates challenges as students are pushed beyond their comfort zones. During the pandemic, teams were forced to stay together through quarantines and stoppages in play that were not a part of previous experiences. Persistence is always a part of the activities experience, but the lessons in perseverance gained in the fall of 2020 are truly meaningful. 

Looking for the light at the end of the tunnel, is a quote that has been around for a long time but more familiarly popularized by President John F. Kennedy in 1962. This quote is all about looking for the positives in troubled times. All the people interviewed said that it was especially hard to stay positive during this time of uncertainty. While it is hard to stay positive here are a few things that the coaches and directors said helped them stay positive. Musical director Rachel Axford said she has been remembering a quote from the musical this year, “courage cannot erase our fears, courage is when we face our fears.” She mentioned that this is a quote that everybody should be remembering at a time like this. As for football coach Jeremy O’Donnell he explained that his team's love for the game keeps him positive. We aren’t measuring success in wins and losses this year, it is the time spent with the people in the activity that is providing our light at the end of the tunnel.

Volleyball, football, cross country, robotics, and the musical are all fall activities. The people from all these activities expressed how they changed the way they play or perform, recruited new members, and how they showed spirit for the activity. COVID-19 may have changed the way the activity played out, but it cannot change the sense of family created through involvement. In uncertain times, our Windom Eagle activities family is trying to help students persevere and be positive all while we attempt to bring a sense of normalcy to our community. We look forward to the potential of a great winter activities season!