Originally Posted: March 19, 2021
Although we’re well into the winter term at this point, many of us are far from settled into our usual routines. To help reduce the spread of COVID-19, those of us who planned to be on campus this term had our arrivals delayed a week and a half, and our arrival quarantine ended earlier this week. That was also around when the gym opened up for on-campus students to use, and without clearance to swim or bike as a team (although it is winter and so one of those doesn’t usually happen) that leaves us with nothing but as many miles as our legs can take and as many minutes of planking as our abs can tolerate. It’s so wildly different from my last recollection of classes at Dartmouth in 19F, and while I personally haven’t entirely adjusted to this new feeling of being on campus it’s definitely a big change from my now-routine life of sitting at a desk absorbing class after class over Zoom.
A lot of what we’ve been able to put on as an entire team hasn’t changed this term compared to those before it. We still have Zoom strength weekly (although this term it’s twice a week) to give us opportunities to work out together, and there’s still an ambience of us all practicing together, even if we can’t physically all be in the same space. I love our strength workouts not just because everyone around me pushes me to do better and build upon what I could do the week prior, but also because it affords us all a chance to catch up and take a breather from our otherwise busy lives. None of that changed when the workouts shifted to a virtual setting, and I’m always amazed by what the other execs do to keep these workouts feeling fresh and entertaining. Even outside of workouts, though, we’ve adapted our more social events so we can still bond as a team without being able to share the same roads or lanes in the pool. It might not be the same for now – or for the rest of my time on the team – but that doesn’t make things any less enjoyable.
If anything, having been away from campus since March has taught me to fully absorb what I had previously taken for granted: seeing and training alongside people. In a world where we’re constantly alert of who we're around and our own practices, gone are the days of seeing someone by chance somewhere on campus and stopping for a quick chat before suggesting a formal catch-up over a meal at Foco and parting ways once more. Instead, even passing by some of my closest friends on the sidewalk has been awkward as I try to figure out if I know the person behind the layers and mask before they say hi to me first (although, I suppose the Dartmouth Triathlon hat does give it away a little). Rather than asking to get a meal with someone, I’m now messaging teammates who I know are on campus asking to go to the gym with me or on a run at some point when it’s not frigid, but we all know that Hanover winter makes those standards unrealistic. The chance interactions still come around every now and again, though. Everything from passing by Jackson in front of Russell Sage (and of course stopping to chat quickly) to doing loops around Occum Pond alongside Coach Katie and Coach Jim just means so much more to me in 2021 than it did in previous years.
Of course, that’s just how things have gone so far, in the few days that we’ve been out of arrival quarantine. There’s been too little time to experience everything and still so much to look forward to that it’s tough to tell exactly what will come of the rest of this term for those of us who find ourselves on campus. Regardless, one thing has become clear to me already: it’s important to take full advantage of what’s available at any given time, because we don’t know if or when things will change. Whether you’ve set goals for your training or general life goals, go after them even if you find them to be too ambitious for the current circumstances. Regardless of the outcome it’ll be an unforgettable experience, and that just might be the mindset we need now.
SBR,
CS
About the Author
Connor Spencer is a ’22 double majoring in math and computer science (and yes, it’s as much work as it sounds like). When not wrapped in one or more problem sets, Connor is often on a long run, complaining about what to do with a spare dorm room, or being an extremely active part of the Upper Valley’s Pokémon Go community.Photo credit: Dartmouth Alumni Magazine