By FRED KRONER
Change has been the operative word during the past nine months.
The coronavirus pandemic is responsible for the upheaval in everyone’s lives. No matter your age, things are quite different with only a glimmer of hope that they will change any time soon.
The majority of the changes have been accompanied by negative connotations: the hospitality industry has suffered, affecting not only customers but also workers; those who are involved in extra-curricular activities at all levels of schooling have missed opportunities to participate; nursing home residents have had to cope without in-person visits from their loved ones; the transportation industry has had to endure a significant decline in travelers.
And that’s just a partial list.
As we adjust our face mask, there’s no questioning the downside of life during the pandemic.
And yet, it is possible for some to find a silver lining.
Veteran Heritage High School athletic director Lori Archer didn’t have to struggle to find positives in recent months.
A former colleague at Heritage, the late Lyle Loman, helped Archer establish a mindset that she has carried throughout the years.
“Lyle Loman taught me a long time ago, before I go to bed each night, to try and reflect upon the day and pick or think of three things to be thankful for,” Archer said. “Needless to say, some days, over the last nine months, that has been difficult to do.
“As disappointing and as time-consuming as all of the changes have been from March until now, the only way to get through this is to try and see some positives of the situation. There are a few things that I have come to appreciate.”
She has enjoyed the extra personal time she had for herself.
“I had a dog (Wrigley) who was turning 14 over the summer,” Archer said, “Because of my busy schedule, leaving home at 6:15 (in the morning) to drive the bus, teaching all day, running home after school to let her out, then heading back to school to supervise a ball game, I didn’t always get to spend as much time with her as I should have or wanted to.
“When school – and sports – was shut down in March, I was able to stay home with her every day, all day. I spent time with her that I never would have had.”
That time, and those memories, are ones which Archer will always treasure.
“Unfortunately, I had to have her put down on July 17, so I look back now and appreciate that extra time that I was given with her,” Archer said.
As the pandemic wreaked havoc with the start of the 2020-21 school year, Archer made a decision that would have been impossible in the past.
“I have since gotten a new puppy,” she said. “Because of our current schedule at school and not having any ball games to supervise at night, I am getting to spend much needed puppy – and training – time with her.
“I’m not sure if it had been any other year, I would have been able to get a puppy now. And I can tell you, after having a dog nearly all of my life, it was difficult coming home at night, knowing no one was there waiting for me, especially on those ‘bad days’ or stressful days.”
With Gambler making his home at the Archer residence, more of a sense of normalcy has been re-established.
“Since I have gotten Gambler, it makes being home at night, and not having games to occupy my time, much more enjoyable,” Archer said.
Her own schedule is much less frantic.
“Another thing I have come to appreciate is getting to sit down to eat a meal,” Archer said. “During a normal fall or winter, my usual supper is either a bag of popcorn sometime throughout the evening, possibly a slice of cold pizza on the way home from a ball game, or a bowl of cereal when I would get home at 9:30 at night.”
Archer acknowledged, however, that part of her routine remains unchanged.
“I have to admit, I’m not used to cooking during the week, so even though I don’t have to, I guess for old-time sake, I still eat popcorn or cereal for supper,” she said, “but I can do that at 6 o’clock and not 10 o’clock.
“I also enjoy getting to bed at a decent hour and getting a good night’s sleep. Usually after a ball game, no matter how tired I am, I can’t wind down from the game and get to sleep.”
One of her expected biggest changes is yet to occur, but will before the end of the month.
“Something else that I am truly looking forward to this year is having a Christmas Break, like all of the other teachers or school employees,” Archer said. “This will be the first time in 27 years that I get a REAL break.
“Most years, I have to spend a few days before Christmas getting ready for our Christmas tournament, then I come home on Christmas Day so I can be at school bright and early on Dec. 26 to begin two or three, 18-hour days, hosting the boys’ basketball BSN Tournament.”
She would head back to school after the start of the new calendar year feeling like she needed a vacation.
“Often times, I would return in January only to hear all of the other teachers say how relaxing their Christmas Break was, how much they enjoyed travelling or spending time with family, and they were rejuvenated and ready to start the second semester,” Archer said. “Besides not feeling relaxed and ready to go, and only getting to spend one day with my family, I was also facing the biggest part of our winter schedules yet to come.
“Usually by the end of basketball season in February, I am physically and mentally worn out.”
Only a part of what she missed out on in the past will likely become reality this year.
“Unfortunately, with the Covid situation still going on and most experts recommending staying at home, I may not get to spend much time with family, or travel anywhere, but it will be nice just to relax and hopefully get prepared for some winter sports,” Archer added.
Archer is certain that once the green light is flashed, and high school sports are returned to the schedule, she will be refreshed, but perhaps a little out of practice for what will follow.
“I have to admit, once the IHSA gives us the all clear to move forward, it will take quite an adjustment period for me to get back into the swing of things, especially if we go back to school on our regular 8:15-2:50 schedule,” Archer said. “On a normal school day/ball game day, my day begins at 6:15 in the morning and might not end until 10 at night.
“I’m not sure my body can get used to that again. I’ve grown accustomed to going home at 3:30, walking the dog, eating supper, and being in bed by 9 o’clock.”
She is ready to resume the pace to which she knows so well.
“It’s definitely going to be an adjustment for me, but if that means getting the kids back on the court or the field, then it will be worth it,” she added.
Archer’s counterpart at St. Joseph-Ogden, athletic director Justin Franzen, has enjoyed the extra free time, but is ready to resume the routine that comes with the job.
“There is definitely a lack of supervisory night-time events to attend, which has been very strange,” Franzen said. “At home, we have definitely had more time to be together as a family and we have tried to make the most of it by eating dinner regularly together, watching movies, playing different games, and we have had more time, do some projects around the house.
“When the grind starts back up, we will be ready for it. My wife, kids and I, look forward to watching SJ-O compete in all athletics and activities, and we will be happy when things get back to a more normal schedule.”
Heath Wilson, the head football coach for the Villa Grove/Heritage cooperative program, holds a mixture of feelings. The football season was already incorporated into the fabric of the family.
“To say we greatly missed football this fall would be a gross understatement,” Wilson said. “For me, my coaches and our families, fall means high school football.
“The other coaches, their families and our players are a part of my family. During the season, we host ‘family dinner’ for the players at our house, coaches – and their families – and debrief in my garage after games on Friday nights. My kids do their homework in the stands during practice.
“My oldest son is a ball boy for the team and my daughter is a varsity cheerleader. A fall without football is a fall without my extended family.”
That’s not to say there haven’t been some particular benefits for Wilson during this fall.
“Although we are all a bit lost without those Friday Night Lights, there have been some wins for me as a father,” Wilson said. “I was able to single-handedly potty-train my 3-year-old son, coach my oldest son’s fall travel baseball team and not only teach my daughter the game of golf, but also watch her compete on the VG/H girls’ golf team.”
The end of the weekend has become an opportunity for family time.
“Sunday nights are for Hallmark Christmas movies in the Wilson house,” he said.
Other area administrators or coaches aren’t as welcoming as Archer, Franzen or Wilson of the additional leisure time they have picked up.
“The best part of being an AD is the competitions,” said Oakwood’s John Odle. “All the rescheduling of officials, games and transportation are a grind.
“The games and meets are what makes the job enjoyable.”
SJ-O football coach Shawn Skinner has seen his season moved from a traditional August start to a – hopeful – beginning in February.
“I’m ready for this to end,” Skinner said. “Really ready for a return to ‘normalcy.’
“I haven’t felt like it’s 8-5 (work day) as until the week of Thanksgiving, we had the weight room open and we had great turnout for that.
“It just feels like the longest offseason ever.”
In some respects, Skinner said his school day has been extended.
“As far as teaching, I actually check my school email nightly Monday through Friday from the time I get home some nights until 11 p.m.,” he said. “I never used to do that, and I just feel so bad for our kids that if they reach out to me, I try to respond and help them if I can.
“This has been 100 times more of a grind than our usual schedules or routine. So, I am ready for that ASAP.”
Otherwise, Skinner said, it’s a matter of doing what he can to stay active.
“I have watched a TON of Netflix, and game-film on my treadmill, but even that has been a chore as our schedule and opponents has changed multiple times,” Skinner said.
