Chapman families ecstatic to return to stands at games

With fans being allowed back in the stands April 13, the energy at Chapman sporting events has seen a slight shift back to regularity. JACK CLENDENING, Staff Photographer

The sunset glinted off Chapman’s Keck Center for Science and Engineering. The cool breeze whispered through a few rows of empty seats. The field lights emitted a soft glow. 

The environment was a welcome return for Steven Farber. But he, the stepfather of senior women’s soccer forward Emmie Farber, would’ve probably sat in rows of cold metal bleachers in freezing temperatures just to see his daughter play again, if it came to that. This April 21 game would stand as the final game of Emmie’s career in a sport she’d been playing since she was 4 years old. 

“It’s been a long time,” Farber said. “I think the kids are excited to be back.”

Immediate family members of athletes were able to watch Chapman women’s soccer compete in that April 21 game against California Lutheran University, a tight affair that ended in a 1-0 Lutheran win. The game also served as the soccer team’s “Senior Night.”

The process of simply getting athletic competition on the field wasn’t easy, let alone fans in the stands. However, with guidance from the NCAA and the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) — under the larger umbrella of COVID-19 guidelines in Orange County and California — it was announced April 13 that a pass list of immediate family members of Chapman athletes could return in spring 2021. 

That came as a pleasant surprise to Doug Aiken, Chapman’s associate athletic director.

“Fans were way down the list of things we needed to accomplish,” Aiken said. “The catalyst for change was when the state said (nearby sports teams) could have fans for outdoor facilities. That’s what got the ball rolling, that we could allow fans starting last weekend (April 15).”

COVID-19 restrictions created a unique experience for parents in attendance of the team’s Senior Night: undergoing a COVID-19 screening, sitting in assigned seats as denoted by a ticket and, of course, wearing a facemask. However, some like Dan Coyle, the father of sophomore defender Shannon Coyle, felt it was just as enjoyable as a normal game. 

“It’s just great to see my kid back on the field again,” Coyle said.

For the players themselves, the fans were a bonus. Originally, senior forward Farber would have foregone the potential of her parents watching this season just to be able to play again. But for their Senior Night, having families in attendance, to Farber, was almost more special than the guarantee of seeing familiar faces in the stands during a normal season. 

“Having my (family) there for my last game was pretty emotional and is definitely something that I’ll remember forever,” Farber said. “It was nice to see how it came full circle. It represented my whole career.”

As the spring semester ends within a month on May 21, plans for increasing attendance at the Ernie Chapman Stadium are not in the works. Instead, Aiken says the fall semester has been prioritized in hopes of a further return to pre-pandemic levels.

“A lot has to happen with COVID numbers and vaccinations for (increased fan attendance) to happen in the fall, but that’s a ways away,” Aiken said. “We’ll look to make some changes.”