Welcome to July

As you may have noticed, the Pandemic Papers interviews have slowed to a trickle. Don’t worry! They’re not done. Just slowing down. We’re in “summer mode” now, but boy is this a different summer mode. Like the rest of the world, we have so much uncertainty about our present and our short-term future. What will become of the 2020-2021 academic year for colleges and college athletics? Once again, my common refrains are “I don’t know” and “We’ll see.” Three months ago, they were my common refrains. I thought, perhaps naively, that by July 1 we would have better clarity and guidance. In some ways, we do; but in most, big ways, we absolutely do not.

Here’s one thing I know, and this is a direct message to all our current athletes (the few of you who actually read this Fancy Blog): Get used to face coverings/masks. They will be part of our daily lives at Marist College -- inside, outside, on-campus, off-campus. Will you have to run wearing a mask? My best guess is “probably not.” However! If you are running across the Walkway Over the Hudson, you will have to have one handy and mask up for those 5-7 minutes that you are crossing the mighty, majestic Hudson River, because that is the Walkway’s policy and we must adhere to that. Otherwise … we’ll see, but my thinking is we won’t need to mask up while running (and, hopefully while lifting too). Here’s the thing! Be prepared: I’m going to be a jerk about this. You have to have a mask. You have to wear a mask. This is not Texas, Florida, South Carolina, etc. This is not political. You’re on a college campus, a damn petri dish for infectious diseases. You’re wearing a face covering. You have no choice. Leave your righteousness out on Route 9. Period. End of story. Parents, friends, family – same message to you, if you are on campus or are allowed to come to our meets (again … “we’ll see” on that …), you have to wear a face covering.

Also, many of you already know that the MAAC has agreed as a conference that fall sports competitions will start no earlier than Friday, September 11. This means our annual home meet at Vassar Farms, scheduled for Saturday, September 5, is not happening. Could it be moved to later in the fall? I don’t know. We’ll see. What’s our fall cross country schedule looking like? I don’t know. We’ll see. Welcome to summer 2020, friends. Hopefully as the days and weeks go by, we’ll “know” and “see” more clearly. For now? All I know is this: We’re masking up at Marist. Get used to it. Hey, on the bright side? I’ll be wearing a mask, so … you don’t have to see my ugly, long, gray goatee!