By Mike Pearson, FightingIllini.com
Randy Ballard and Jeremy Busch readily admit that the last 15 months have proven to be the most challenging interval of their careers in sports medicine, but they also contend that it has been a period of immense gratification.
Shortly after March 12, 2020, when the NCAA and the Big Ten Conference cancelled all of the season's remaining winter and spring athletic competitions, Fighting Illini administrators and coaches convened to discuss the ramifications of the evolving COVID-19 public health threat upon the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics and its staff, coaches and student-athletes.
"Early on in the process, I was reminded about that (Dwight) Eisenhower quote—'Plans are worthless, but planning is everything,'" said Ballard, Associate Director of Athletics for Sports Medicine. "Each day, it seemed like things were constantly changing. Between (Director of Athletics) Josh (Whitman), Jeremy and myself, we had a lot of connections and, thankfully, had a seat at a lot of the right tables. Josh was constantly feeding us information that he was getting from the Chancellor's office and IDPH (Illinois Department of Public Health). We made connections with them, the C-U (Champaign-Urbana) Public Health District and the Big Ten Conference. Jeremy and I were reaching out to our colleagues and connections we had in the NFL, the NBA, Major League Baseball and other conferences. We heard what other people were doing. Early on, our biggest resource was the University of Illinois and its unbelievable amount of brain power, geniuses, intellectuals, professors, researchers, etc."
In May of 2020, a campus and community committee known as COVID-19 SHIELD was formed. Comprising the nearly 40-person team was a wide array of area and campus experts, ranging from medicine and microbiology to biochemistry and engineering.
"The SHIELD group has been phenomenal," Ballard said. "I couldn't begin to tell you about all of the people we've been able to talk to across a wide variety of domains. We were asking professors on campus about using UV (ultraviolet) rays as disinfectants. We talked to campus people in engineering that had specialties in HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems. Just knowing that those resources were there was huge for putting a plan together as well as just knowing what questions to ask."
Ballard also praised the efforts of C-U Public Health.
"We called them multiple times from April through July (of 2020), both in putting a plan together about how best to bring back student-athletes and how we would do testing," he said. "Then, once we saw our first positive, to ensure that we were doing everything we could to mitigate the spread from contact tracing, isolation and quarantining."
The DIA also took advantage of its long-standing relationship with Carle Foundation Hospital.
"From the top down—Jim Leonard, Caleb Miller, our team physicians and their lab crew—they've been a tremendous asset to us and especially to our community," Ballard said. "We worked with all of those entities to identify what our testing strategy was going to be when we brought back student-athletes on June 8. Taking that guidance and recommendation from Carle to test and re-test, working with the nurses at McKinley Health Center to do full nasopharyngeal swabs … to be able to pull that off the way we did was such a testament to a community of resources and collaboration.
"Well before COVID, I've often said that there's not another place I'd want to be than at the University of Illinois," Ballard said. "Given the intellectual capital and the leadership that we have at this institution, the people who are willing to take time and give us recommendations and guidance have been remarkable."
Busch, UI's Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine and the Illini football team's Head Athletic Trainer, said that a lion's share of the credit for actually carrying out the DIA's plan goes to its more than 500 student-athletes.
"One of the best parts of the profession for me is watching young 17- or 18-year-olds grow into outstanding young men and young women," he said. "Part of their growth is discipline, doing what it takes to really succeed. To watch them transform this year and then buying into our guidance was huge. Asking them to stay in their apartments or dorms and reducing that social bubble, and then buying into what we asked them to do inside our buildings … buying into all of these things so that they could have a successful season. Then, to see them have those successes on the court and on the field … men's basketball, men's golf and tennis. Our student-athletes deserve a lot of that credit. Because they bought in, they reaped the rewards. This is ultimately going to set them up for success in the long run. When they have some adversity in their lives, they're going to know how to handle it. They're going to be able to say, 'I've struggled with a lot worse.' It's really fun to watch. One of the better moments I've had in college athletics is to watch them have success through all of this adversity."
Ballard agreed.
"It's just a testament to the team effort and all the work and sacrifices that our staff and our student-athletes have made," he said. "From the very beginning of this, Josh Whitman was adamant that we would try to be transparent and communicate as much to our staff and student-athletes and their parents as we worked our way through this challenge. Because of that transparency and that communication, we garnered a lot of trust, Because of that trust, our student-athletes and our staff were willing to follow and listen and do what we asked, be it about decisions around quarantining, social gatherings, or sticking to their peer-one groups.
"And because of that commitment and that trust, as an institution and as an athletic department, we have been able to achieve what very few athletic departments have. We never had to shut down teams or cancel competitions. From the very beginning, our commitment was to give our student-athletes all the opportunities that we could, but in as safe a manner as we could. And we've been able to do that. A lot of that has to do with the sacrifices and the dedication of our staff and student-athletes. So, I couldn't be more grateful for the leadership of the athletic department and the campus and C-U Public Health for the buy-in and the cooperation and the trust of our staff and student-athletes. It is gratifying, but more so it's our gratitude to everyone that's been involved."
There have been negative repercussions, however, in terms of many of the student-athletes' mental and emotional health.
"Arguably, it's one of the points that hasn't been talked about," Busch said. "It's truly taken a toll on our student-athletes and staff members. COVID has taken them out of their traditional routine. They are creatures of habit. I give (UI program manager for mental health and sports performance, and assessment, and mental health counselor) Jim Mauer and his team a lot of credit for stepping up and being available. Early on, during quarantine, our student-athletes did virtual visits with our mental health team. A student-athlete first comes to campus at 17 or 18 years old and it's usually their first time away from home. Then you tell them that they have to stay in their dorm room and limit their social actions and limit them to what they'd normally have in their sport's facility. This greatly increased the risk of mental health issues. Even with the support that we were able to surround them with, there was an increase in the number of cases. Nationally, this happened across campuses. I think we were able to navigate that a bit better because of Jim and his team."
On May 4, modified this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, Illini student-athletes celebrated the 2020-21 school year by attending "The Oskees Experience" at State Farm Center. First-year athletes were presented their Varsity I jackets while seniors were given a graduation gift. Additionally, Ballard sent them a heartfelt message from his staff.
"On a day when we recognize the biggest and brightest achievements of the past year, both in the classroom and on the field, I felt that I would be remiss if I didn't take the opportunity to thank and congratulate our student-athletes for all they did and all they achieved in lieu of COVID," he said. "I just expressed my gratitude for their willingness to trust us and to follow our guidance. We can have the greatest testing program in the country—which I think you could argue that we do given what the University of Illinois has been able to accomplish—but testing is really only one portion of the puzzle. At the end of the day, behavioral modification—who you're around, mask wearing etc.—is really the most important thing. Testing doesn't matter if you're making poor choices. So I have a tremendous amount of respect and gratitude for all of our student-athletes for their commitment. It wasn't easy for any of us, but especially for them. Their commitment to do what we asked is really remarkable and should be highlighted."
