Unprecedented

Here it is July of 2020, and I am just sitting here with my jaw agape as I think back on this year. It has truly been surreal. And "surreal" does not even do it justice. There are so many things that have transpired in the first 6 1/2 months that I cant  really begin to discuss them. It has been a year like no other and on top of all of the political divisiveness, the social unrest and the downturn in the economy, we have a pandemic that is tearing through this country at an alarming rate.

The safety of the nation is under attack from a virus, and there seems to be a huge amount of difficulty in flattening the curve, and keeping it flat. 

Schools at all levels have a huge unique and almost impossible task. Keeping the students, faculty and staff safe, while providing an atmosphere to foster learning, creativity, and what is a wholistic educational experience. Life in schools at any level will be quite different, and I fear some elements will be forever changed. Social distancing, hand washing and sanitizers and donning a mask seem to be the first line of defense in beating the virus, but even with that it may prove to be easier said than done. Many questions come to mind, and I just shake my head in disbelief at where we are as a nation. 

On the college campus, the challenges are very steep. Limiting the number of students in a class means either more classes later in the day, or more online learning. The number of students have to be limited to ensure social distancing. Sanitizing classrooms and other facilities will be a major part of the plan to keep everyone safe. Between each class, the rooms will have to be cleaned, with all surfaces wiped down with disinfectant. This will take time. I will not even go into the food service aspect. This is going to be an ongoing education of something no one has ever done. It will not be easy. At Christopher Newport University, we are seeing the maintenance staff install motion activated paper towel dispensers, as well as installing motion activated light switches. All with the intent of reducing the need for physical contact with surfaces.

So yesterday the news I have been expecting finally surfaced. Ferrum will not play football in 2020. The ODAC has decided to delay the football season, and make it a Spring semester sport. This holds true for all fall sports. We will have football........hopefully.... just in January. That will be interesting. You think Spring football cant be cold? Well just wait. My recollection is that Ferrum can get mighty cold in the beginning of the year, and you could see a good amount of snow. Does anyone know the last time it snowed at a Ferrum home football game? I don't have a clue.

I find this a hard pill to swallow, but at least they have not scrubbed the entire season. There is still a chance they will play football, so stay tuned. I am really disappointed about this development, but Ferrum alumnus and Blackhat legend Nate Daniels posted a video sharing a very real and optimistic outlook on the delayed season. I so much appreciate his insight and positive attitude. His video link is posted below.

Hang in there Panther fans. We would love to see football, but stay safe.....that is the most important thing. If we can bring the covid numbers down, we we may well see the Panthers putting numbers up on the scoreboard.

Nate Daniels