Confronting an Identity Challenge With a Growth Mindset - Lehigh University Athletics - Lehigh University Athletics

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By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
 
A student-athlete's sport connects that person to something bigger than herself/himself. When that sport is stripped away, like it has with the COVID-19 pandemic, it brings along a number of challenges.
 
One of those is an identity challenge.
 
"When you arrive to college as a freshman, it can be overwhelming," said women's soccer rising senior and Student-Athlete Council co-captain Chloe Tremblay. "Where do I find my place? Who do I belong with?
 
"As a student-athlete, you essentially have this label. When introducing yourself, you say your name and the team you're on."
 
It's similar to identifying with any group or activity, such as being a member of a fraternity or sorority.
 
"That tag line becomes who you are," said Tremblay. "As you evolve, you're specializing in certain boxes, which can be very beneficial, but also dangerous.
 
"COVID essentially blew that up."
 
It was first blown up when spring sports were canceled last spring and universities across the nation transitioned to online learning.
 
"Now, you're back home and you have all this free time," said Tremblay. "We've taken away the 'you're on the women's soccer team' part (temporarily), so now figure out what you're interested in beyond your sport."
 
Lehigh Athletics and the Patriot League fosters holistic student-athlete development as more than just athletes.
 
The pandemic has only reinforced the importance of the mission.
 
The Shock
March 12 was the day Patriot League spring sports were canceled. The Ivy League had canceled its spring season on the 11th and that night, the NBA announced it was suspending its season.
 
Negative momentum was building around the nation, and it only seemed inevitable.
 
Keep in mind, the true beauty of college athletics isn't even the sport itself. It's the collective commitment to a greater goal, alongside one's teammates.

Women's Lacrosse cherished its final moments together in March after spring sports were canceled.

 
"You really don't think about yourself in that moment when spring sports are canceled," said Mason Black of baseball, who's also a SAC co-captain.
 
"You get super sad for the seniors. It was an awful moment, because you put your whole fall and winter into training, then it gets ripped out from under you."
 
Black said it took time for the news to process.
 
"Once I got home, that's when things really started to settle in. There were no gyms open and everything started to close."
 
The news was also tough for fall sport student-athletes in the midst of their spring seasons.
 
"The games are usually the best part of the spring, and that's why you train so hard," said Tremblay. "To not be able to realize that on the field, and see our progress, was definitely a blow."
 
Tremblay admits last spring was challenging for her and her team, but not as much as in-season student-athletes or most importantly, the nation dealing with a global pandemic.
 
"Coming home, we were quickly met by a large sum of humility and realizing yes, our spring season was canceled, but that doesn't compare to the enormous losses the whole world was about to endure."
 
There For Each Other
Even though student-athletes were separated, they remained together in spirit with understanding and perspective.
 
"I had a lot of my respect for my teammates because while we were angry, frustrated and upset, we all were quickly able to realize this was not about us," said Tremblay.  
 
It was about the country, and world, fighting COVID-19.
 
"We needed to quickly transition into a phase where we were there for each other," said Tremblay.
 
The biggest challenge for student-athletes was being away from teammates.
 
"You identify with the process and the hard work that goes into it – being with your teammates 24/7, motivating them and being motivated by them," said Black. "You don't look at yourself as a baseball player…
 
"You look at yourself as a teammate.
 
"Luckily, we have the internet and have been able to connect that way. But it's not the same."
 
Challenging One's Identity
Student-athletes are used to the rigors of being on campus. Practically all year, there is some sort of structure, especially during their championship seasons. Even out-of-season, there are practices, lifts, workouts and competition.
 
And even though the student-athletes could remain connected virtually, it flipped their world upside down.
 
"Your identity as a student-athlete is quickly challenged," said Tremblay. "You're back in your house, it almost feels like you're in high school and you have this core part of you taken away.
 
"But it's also an opportunity to understand that one day, you won't have your sport," she continued. "As a rising senior, I'll soon be an alum and this was a chance for me to almost gain that alum perspective of how much you miss your sport and how much you'd rather be running fitness tests than at home doing remote conference calls. You gain a greater appreciation for your sport when it's taken away."
 
More Than Coaches
It sounds cliché, but it's the truth. Lehigh Athletics is a family. And when the pandemic hit, the coaches cared about their teams as any family member would.  

Coach Leary has checked in with his student-athletes often throughout the pandemic.

 
"Coach Leary and our staff checked in and kept us informed on the situation and what they'd been hearing from the university," said Black. "They asked how we were doing academically with the switch-up (to online learning). They challenged our captains and upperclassmen to just reach out to guys and see how everyone's doing."
 
Tremblay echoed those sentiments.
 
"Coach Lambinus and the entire program has our best interest at heart in terms of who we're going to be after college. The way Lehigh Athletics responded in the pandemic is definitely on brand with that. Our coaches came to us less so as coaches and more so as individuals who wanted to help us through this, be resources and understand how they could best accommodate our new needs."
 
Another Tough Blow
Unfortunately, earlier this week, the Patriot League announced the cancellation of fall sports (although they're not ruling out fall sports being played in the spring).
 
Everyone around the league wanted to make it work, but it just wasn't feasible or safe with the rising COVID-19 cases around the nation.
 
"I was in the middle of a meeting when I heard the news that our season was canceled or postponed at best," said Tremblay. "I could see my phone was being overloaded with texts, but I didn't want to look at it in fear of what it would say. I was devastated. I know it may sound naïve given the daily bad news surrounding the pandemic, but I did not want to give up on hope that things may return to a 'new normal' and our season would happen somehow."
 
Following a couple days to process the news, Tremblay turned her attention to the team's next steps.
 
"After talking to Coach, I feel taking one day at a time is the best way to approach the situation right now," said Trembaly. "That means preparing ourselves, mentally and physically, to get back to campus. We can hope for fall practices once we return, but so much is beyond our control that there's no reason to add any more stress by guessing too much.
 
"At least we will all be together once we return," she continued. "Each time we will have the opportunity to condition, lift or train together is a privilege that I trust we will all take advantage of."
 
An Opportunity to Learn, Grow and Lead
For all the obvious negative surrounding the pandemic, it has provided an opportunity to learn, grow and lead.
 
"I've always known that I like human interaction and relationships, but over the course of these months, I definitely see it as a vital need for me," said Tremblay. "My team is very close, so we were looking for ways to connect, even though it wasn't the same. But when you're FaceTiming your friends, you're seeing the inside of their homes, it's suddenly more intimate and everyone's craving these deeper conversations to connect."
 
Tremblay admits her desire to connect led to her pushing outside her comfort zone.
 
"Our team collectively decided on small areas of interest, then we grouped up," she said. "Some cooked the same recipe. A few watched the same movie on Netflix, then discussed it. A few other teammates read a book. Some painted.
 
"We started to figure out these different parts of us I would have never known," Tremblay continued. "I would have never talked to one of my teammates about her interest in watercolor painting because that just doesn't come up when you're at school. But this new situation allows you to discover new things."
 
Professional Aspirations
Most collegiate student-athletes will not explore professional aspirations. But Black is one of the few; he's on the radar of MLB scouts and after this year's MLB Draft was shortened to five rounds (from 40), he has no idea what to expect in 2021 (when he'll be draft eligible).
 
"The draft is a whole year away," said Black. "You don't know what can happen in that time. I have an advisor and he's been keeping me informed. We don't know what the draft will look like. We're staying optimistic and just doing our thing."

Black at Lehigh's Pro Day last fall

 

All Black can do is work hard, and continue to grow as an all-around student-athlete and person (which anyone who knows him can attest, he already was doing prior to the pandemic).
 
"I try to not think too far into the future in regards to baseball, especially because things can change in a heartbeat," said Black. "I shut down from baseball for a month and hit the books as hard as I could. Now that the school year is over, I've shifted focus towards baseball for the remainder of the summer. I was lucky enough to come home and get into a summer league in Boca Raton, Florida.
 
"That's a big step forward and keeps me fresh and focused on the task at hand, which is getting better."
 
Black believes everything happens for a reason.
 
"Perspective is one of the greatest gifts we can have in our lives," he said. "Realizing there are things bigger than yourself has been difficult to learn for both myself, and to teach other guys.
 
"I just have to be ready for the next time I go out there as an athlete or teammate."
 
The Value Of Lehigh
Student-athletes around the nation are undoubtedly facing an identity challenge. But the beauty of Lehigh is that the athletics department already stressed being more than an athlete.
 
Take one example.
 
"I can remember… I was an underclassman, came to Coach and was absolutely terrified to ask this question because it meant I'd miss practice for the first time," said Tremblay. "It was an opportunity to travel to New York with a class to visit the United Nations offices and meet with a few ambassadors. I came into his office super nervous and he just smiled.
 
"I guess he could tell I was nervous and said of course you're missing practice. You have to go. That's an amazing opportunity. Chloe, it's one practice versus what could be a formative experience for the rest of your life."
 
Not only Tremblay, but all Mountain Hawk student-athletes began the pandemic with a strong understanding they're at Lehigh for more than just sports. That foundation has allowed them to respond and bounce back as the days, weeks and months have progressed.
 
Dealing With The Unknown
The Mountain Hawks are working through the identity challenge as effectively as one could hope. Although the fall won't see outside competition, the plan is to allow teams to work out, lift and practice, as long as local and university guidelines are followed and it's deemed safe.

Tremblay is looking forward to reuniting with her teammates this fall.

 

A small semblance of normalcy could be back on campus this fall, with hopes that the spring semester could bring even more. But like with everything surrounding the pandemic, there is so much unknown and things can change in a flash.
 
The student-athletes' next challenge is to confront that challenge.
 
"The unknown is definitely scary to everyone," said Black. "Our team falls on one another in hard times; we have those relationships built that we can really talk about anything with anyone. We really feel comfortable talking thing out and getting things off our chests."
 
"When something does happen, like an injury or pandemic, your identity is shaken and you have to look at your life in a whole new way," said Tremblay. "We can't be afraid of that challenge, but confront it as an opportunity for growth. I can see my team has accomplished a newfound perspective of making something out of this.
 
"I believe determination and discipline from athletics allows us to do just that."

 

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