SMC SOCCER: Belles to play today
Katie McVoy
Associate Sports Editor
Life goes on. And it will be going on today at Saint Mary's.
At 4 pm. this afternoon the Belles will take a step beyond tragedy and take on the Flying Dutch of Hope College in the first athletic match-up at either Saint Mary's or Notre Dame since the terrorist attacks Tuesday morning.
The original match-up between the two teams that was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m. was cancelled following the attacks on New York and Washington D.C. and tentatively rescheduled for Wedne-sday. However, an MIAA decision to cancel all athletic competition on Wednesday postponed the match again.
After serious consideration by both colleges' athletic departments, the decision to allow the two teams to play the match was made on Wednesday afternoon.
"Hope's athletic director and I thought that maybe its a good idea to have [the teams] compete," said Saint Mary's athletic director Lynn Kachmarik.
The decision to play was made after discussing the issue with both coaches and taking into consideration the effect playing would have on the student athletes. No athletes on the Saint Mary's team have lost relatives or been immediately affected by the blast and the match would only require ground travel. Therefore, both coaches and athletic directors decided that the best thing they could do for their athletes was to try to get them back into a normal routine.
"Personally I think it's good for them to get back out there and get into a routine," Saint Mary's head coach Bobby Johnston said. "All of them are obviously affected. We're trying to ... take their minds off of it."
The decision to play comes in the midst of most Division I leagues cancelling their athletic competitions not only for tonight, but for the rest of the weekend as well. However, with a lower profile and the needs of the athletes being at the forefront of the coaches' minds, Johnston and Kachmarik made what they considered to be the best decision.
"This isn't [a decision] that's black and white," Johnston said. "We hope we're doing what's right for the athletes."
Despite facing feelings of uncertainty, the women on the soccer team are satisfied with the decision and are looking forward to the benefits that playing again will bring with it.
"It will be good ... to take a break from the rest of the world and play," team captain Lynn Taylor said. "I think that a lot of people are in the same position that they want to do something where they don't want to think about [the attacks]."
"I think its best for us to go on with our season," junior Heather Muth added. "We're going to have to face it and get back into it."
Although the Saint Mary's athletic department has made the decision to move things forward and continue on with regular season play, its members have not forgotten about the personal needs of the athletes. Both Kachmarik and Johnston were present at Tuesday's prayer service held at Saint Mary's and are keeping the well-being of their athletes at the forefront of their minds.
"Its hard," Johnston said. "Each player is reacting to things differently. It definitely has touched many of the players and they definitely are sensitive to the issues at hand."
The athletes are aware of the support coming not only from their athletic department, but from each other as well.
"There's been complete support from the athletic department," Muth said. "For me, being out there with my team, its been good to have all these people that care about me around me."
"It was nice to be with my teammates because I couldn't get ahold of all of them [Tuesday] to make sure they were doing OK," senior Jessica Klink added.
The team took the field yesterday after Tuesday's practice was cancelled due to the closing of the college.
Despite the tension caused by Tuesday's disaster, the women on the team were glad to leave their television sets and release some nervous energy.
"Practice was pretty laid back and it was really relaxing to get away from the TV," Klink said.
"Its been a good release for me personally to kind of walk away from the television and release all the frustration," Muth added.
Now that the decision to play has been made, the biggest problem facing the Belles will be focus. Wednesday's practice showed that the concentration required to stay in any collegiate competition may suffer under the strain of a national tragedy.
"[The attack] was definitely in the back of all the players' minds," Johnston said. "I think that our focus was not as much as it should have been ... Hopefully we can move in."
Players agree that a Division III soccer game is a difficult thing to focus energy on. Putting Tuesday's tragedy in the back of their minds and trying to focus on getting the ball in the net is already weighing on the Belles' minds.
"I think one of our team's biggest challenges will be focusing," Muth said. "... Obviously a horrible thing has happened and its hard to step away from that for a minute and try to play a game that is really not very important in the scheme of the world right now."
The game will kick off tonight at 4 p.m.at the Saint Mary's soccer field.
All Sports Stories for Thursday, September 13, 2001
