Starting as early as the second day of pre-season practice, a few players from the women’s soccer team were hit with a sense of nausea that was more than the usual side effect of running. The women would often arrive to practice with a sour stomach and continue to feel it throughout the day. Out of the team’s 28 members, eight to 10 members, at some point, were sick. Their coach Kevin Gregory was also plagued with the sickness.
Members of the women’s soccer team work together to set up for their practice drills. Photo by Olivia Tennefoss
The team immediately began taking preventative measures to ensure the sickness would not spread. Madison Baker is a sophomore on the team double majoring in sports management with a concentration in communication and marketing with a minor in coaching. She said they focused on staying hydrated, eating healthy and getting plenty of rest. After having a few two-a-day practices their bodies were tired and more susceptible to getting sick, she said. The team members also kept everything sanitized after the sickness was observed to keep it from getting worse.
Some may wonder if this sickness is a setback for the start of the women’s soccer season. While Gregory said he hates to see his team sick, he is thankful that it happened early and before the season actually started.
“We’ve had a lot of new faces come in this year and they’ve meshed extremely well in my opinion,” Gregory said. “It’s kind of cool to see them develop their own new personality with this new group. So, I think that’s a very fun thing to watch from my point of view.”
Both Gregory and team captain, senior pre-physical therapy and exercise science major Aubrey Bartel, do not think it will affect the start of their season.
The women’s soccer team endures the rain as they listen to instructions. Photo by Olivia Tennefoss
“We still had enough healthy people to put in a lot of good practices and we had lots of good stuff from the pre-season practices,” Bartel said. “We’re healthy now, so we’re looking forward to our season opener Friday, and I know that we’re going to be ready for the season.”
Bluffton University Women’s Soccer has its first game at 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, against St. Mary’s College at home.
Editor’s note: Aubrey Bartel is a convergent journalist for The Witmarsum.
