Fall club sports were canceled due to Philadelphia County and St. Joe’s COVID-19 guidelines on July 31. All of St. Joe’s 26 intercollegiate club sports teams compete in the fall.
Student team leaders received an email from Angie Nagle, assistant athletic director for campus recreation, on July 31 that all club athletes will not be able to participate in any form of in-person practices or games.
“Right now everything’s up in the air,” said Kayla Coan ’21, a player on the St. Joe’s women’s rugby team. “I can understand why we had to cancel, I’m just disappointed.”
According to Nagle, the cancellation of fall club sports is due to two main reasons.
“In-person activity has been paused for the fall,” Nagle said. “And the majority of the club governing bodies and leagues which our teams are members of canceled their competitive seasons.”
Coan said being part of a team and competing is something that she will miss this semester.
“You know that someone will always have your back, our team especially is just a very welcoming group,” Coan said.
Sam Gingerich ’23, a member of the St. Joe’s men’s club volleyball team, said the team’s environment has always provided consistency and structure throughout his time at St. Joe’s.
“It’s honestly just getting to meet a bunch of new guys [when you join the team],” Gingerich said. “It’s cool to have a team to be part of. That’s a big thing I missed from high school.”
Club sports teams are unable to recruit in person this semester. However, Coan said the St. Joe’s women’s rugby team is trying to recruit new members virtually.
“We’re kind of having a problem because we don’t really know how to engage the new members when we can’t really meet them.” Coan said. “We’re trying to plan something through Zoom.”
Nagle said she acknowledges the challenges that club athletes face in recruiting new members and staying connected with one another.
“I empathize with our club athletes who are so passionate about competing for SJU,” Nagle said.
John Whitaker ’23, a member of the St. Joe’s men’s club lacrosse team, said club sports usually occupy a significant portion of his time, so he will be using the new free time to his advantage this semester.
“While I would love to be playing,” Whitaker said, “I am using this semester to focus on my education and hope for the best with the club in the spring.”
According to Nagle, there is currently no set date for club sports to return in the spring.
