April 28, 2020 at 10:39 a.m.
'We are here for each other'
Spring coaches address their teams in videos in wake of COVID-19 cancellations
'We are here for each other'
When Gov. Tony Evers extended Wisconsin's Safer at Home order a week and a half ago, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and ordered all K-12 schools in the state to remain closed through the end of the school year, any chance of his team having any semblance of a normal spring sports season had disappeared.
Sure enough, the WIAA Board of Control followed suit last Tuesday, announcing the cancellation of spring sports competitions and state tournaments for the 2020 season, while leaving open the possibility of an informal spring sports season in July, should social distancing restrictions be lifted by that time.
Less than an hour after the WIAA's late-morning decision, a video was posted on the team's Facebook page and on YouTube. The message to the players: You are not alone and stay "Hodag Strong," a catchphrase coined by retired RHS soccer coach Dan Millot regarding one's character.
The end result was a more than 10-minute montage featuring 14 people with direct or indirect ties to the team, encouraging the players to keep hope alive during these unprecedented times.
"I wanted to show the students that they are not alone," Kotula told the River News in a phone interview. "There are so many people that have been in their lives, and all those people really care. They're really sad about the situation. They are touched the same way. They care and they are supporting them. I was hoping to grab the attention that there is a magnitude of people that really love those kids, that want the best for those kids. Even during this hard situation, we will stand behind them."
Kotula was not the only coach with that idea. Within an hour of last Tuesday's announcement, Rhinelander High School track coach Aaron Kraemer recorded and shared a nearly seven-minute video message with his squad.
Kraemer expressed his sympathy to the student-athletes who lost an opportunity to display their talents, but then implored his team to remain hopeful, in the event it can reconvene in July.
"I want to challenge you and implore you to go look at the positive things that can come of what can happen next," he said. "Many of you, seniors, we feel sad that you're not going to get a chance to take part in our spring sports seasons, but many of you have had great accomplishments that are going to push you forward. Many of you had experiences that are going to move into whatever's next and best in your life."
The girls' soccer video starts with Kotula in his home, a monitor displaying a soccer field in the background, addressing the team.
"Coach Richard here. I just want to let you know you are not alone," he said in the opening segment. "All people in this video are here for you, and always will be. There's a large army of family members, coaches, mentors and friends that are all on your side."
That was followed by snippets of video messages from several others associated with the team. Among those to share their thoughts and well wishes were RHS athletic trainer Eric Prom, several current RHS assistant coaches, RHS boys' soccer coach Nathan Bates and Rhinelander Mayor Chris Frederickson, who coached a number of players on the team during their youth soccer days. Some of the players he brought to England as part of the Hodags vs. the World trip in 2015 are still on the high school squad.
"In this time, the only character I can say we build from this is perseverance, but it's also a character trait that leads to a whole lot of other things," Frederickson said in the video. "It's a stepping stone to bigger things. That sense of loss drives us in certain ways and fuels passion."
The video even included a message from Millot, who was the team's head coach through the 2018 season.
"I would really like to encourage you to keep your heads high, continue to support each other, your families, members of the community," he said. "I'd also encourage you to do something during this time for somebody else, and do it because people matter."
It took some advance planing on Kotula's part to ensure the video was ready to go in the minutes following the WIAA's final verdict regarding the spring sports season.
On April 17, shortly after the Safer at Home order was extended, Kotula reached out to a number of people with ties to the program and asked them to record a short, roughly 60-second, video of encouragement for the team. Two days later, Kotula had received enough responses to put together the video.
Even a couple of area soccer referees - Rob Hom and Manny Gutierrez - chimed in with messages and added some levity to the video. Gutierrez quipped about being eager to get back on the field to "make sure your games are, sometimes, fair enough."
Hom acted out a scene in which he awarded a corner kick, to the disagreement of an imaginary coach, before saying, "Stay strong Lady Hodags. We're proud of you, and we love you.
"Now, excuse me for a second while I deal with your coach," Hom added, as he walked off camera to issue a pretend yellow card.
"For me, it was emotional just to receive those videos, just to see how people jumped on that and how, with loving hearts, they sacrificed their time to put something together - something so meaningful," Kotula said. "Each time I was reviewing the video from each person, it was very emotional for me to see that because of the care that everybody has. That's what made it so special."
Millot, and several others in the video, mentioned remaining "Hodag Strong" during this difficult time.
"It's almost like a wildfire now and it's not just soccer-related," Kotula said of the catchphrase. "It affects everyone in the community, being Hodag strong, being proud of what we do in this town, proud of what we do for the kids and what the kids are doing for the community. We are here for each other."
The RHS girls' soccer team's video can be viewed at the following link: https://you.tube/NPDIW9pxO4E.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.