Best of: Athletic department, the unsung heroes of a COVID-19 season

Chapman’s athletic staff has been forced to grapple with new day-to-day tasks in a pandemic-altered season. A group of students — seniors Amy Rabun (left), Joe Perrino (middle) and Orel Shilon (right) — help Sports Information Director Steven Olveda operate a May 8 softball game at El Camino Real Park. DANIEL PEARSON, Staff Photographer

Every game on Wilson Field. Every socially distanced practice in the Harold Hutton Sports Center. Every team meeting held over Zoom. 

Behind every event of Chapman’s COVID-19-plagued sports season is a key group of individuals, planning and operating like the director of a play: the athletic staff. 

“All this stuff we've been doing with COVID is new. We’ve never had to restrict capacity in stadiums. Everything’s different,” said Terry Boesel, Chapman’s athletic director. “You’re learning that people at first might be a little uncertain about what they need to do, but you have to direct them so that they uphold the standards required of them.” 

By abiding and implementing guidelines from the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), Chapman University and Orange County at large, the athletic department has successfully implemented testing for student athletes every week and mask and social distancing mandates while practicing. 

Preparation for games in a pandemic, meanwhile, is much more substantial than usual. But Steven Olveda, Chapman’s sports information director, views the sheer amount of planning as a blessing if it means athletes can step onto the field again. 

“There’s paperwork that needs to be done, COVID tests that need to be completed, and (clearance) documentation turned in prior to games to make sure everyone is clear and safe,” Olveda said. “But once they get out there on the field, it’s just a game again.”

While it can be hard to enforce anything on large groups of college students, athletes’ adjustments to practicing before the season began made it easier for the athletic department to implement its safety procedures.

“I like that once the student athletes got used to the process, they were great. They come in and they already have their COVID clearance and student ID,” Boesel said. “Once they learned what they needed to do to get out there and practice, they learned quickly and were willing to abide by all protocols.”

Another hurdle the staff had to jump was engaging parents and family members who didn’t feel safe returning to watch games in-person. A brand-new system of livestreaming games was incorporated to curb that issue. 

“We knew that we had to bring a better experience for the parents, families and friends of the student athletes that weren’t going to be able to come see (games) in person,” Olveda said. “We were able to invest some money in equipment to beef up our livestream, which wasn’t hard, since it was just a single-cam broadcast before.”

In order to help maintain the livestreaming set-up, Olveda hired several students. One of them was AJ Keenan, a junior broadcast journalism and documentary major who helped to transform the single-camera broadcast to a four-camera broadcast with new Panasonic cameras and switchers — consistent with industry standards. 

“They’ve wanted to do multi-camera streams for a very long time,” Keenan said. “It’s been in the works for a while, but COVID was the final push to make it happen.” 

With pandemic restrictions in California loosening, immediate family members have been cleared to attend games. Each player on a team is limited to inviting four individuals. Carol Jue, the coach of the women’s basketball team, has been working hard to ensure the safe admission of parents. 

“It’s about making sure all the parents and fans are checking in with their daily COVID screenings, getting tested ... (and) making sure everyone is staying safe,” Jue said. “It’s definitely a different feeling when there are people back in the stands and people cheering. The home-court advantage is back, since only Chapman parents and fans can come watch the games.”

It might not be easy to check every single individual that comes into an athletic facility. But diligence has keyed the success, and pure existence, of Chapman’s athletic program during the pandemic. 

“It’s been a lot more work for everybody,” Olveda said. “It’s hard to say you like more work, but when it’s keeping people safe, it’s definitely worth it.”