May 1, 2020 at 7:50 a.m.
'I didn't have that last chance to better myself'
Rhinelander native Gaber reflects on seeing collegiate golf career cut short due to COVID-19
'I didn't have that last chance to better myself'
Except Gaber, like so many senior college and high school student-athletes, will never get that chance.
That fear became a reality for Gaber on March 16 when the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) followed the path of its bigger brother, the NCAA, and numerous professional sporting leagues in canceling its activities for the spring sports season.
"I didn't have that last chance to better myself or beat previous scores - that one last shot that you get with your last spring semester," said Gaber, who was a standout on the Rhinelander High School golf team in the mid 2010s, said in a recent phone interview with the River News. "That was kind of disappointing not being able to complete that."
"It's disappointing for him because I know how much time and effort he put into it and what his senior season meant to him," Adam Hocking, the head men's golf coach at Clarke said. "But, the good thing about Alex is I know he's a very hard-working, determined young man who I know is going to be successful in whatever that next step is."
Preparing for naught
Spring break was just around the corner for Clarke University in Dubuque as news of COVID-19 began to ramp up in early March but, at that point in time, Gaber was more focused on getting ready for the second half of his final collegiate season.
"We were full force, all-in," he said. "Four days a week we had training and we were ready to go. The snow was gone. I think I had played five or six times right before I left for Spring Break."
Training for the golf season was not just about hitting a few balls on the range. The university had recently installed an indoor simulator to aid in practice, and the team was also utilizing an off-campus facility to hit balls, Gaber said. In addition, the team had plenty of other activities planned, including crossfit training and even some swimming workouts.
"I was totally fine with it," said Gaber, a former WIAA state qualifier in swimming at RHS. "Everybody else hated it, but I was totally fine with it."
March 11 is widely viewed as the tipping point in terms of COVID-19 in the sports world. On that day the World Health Organization declared the new strain of the coronavirus a global pandemic. That night, after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus, the NBA announced it was postponing its season, effective immediately. Other leagues began following suit. Within days, the NCAA announced it would cancel one of its biggest events, the men's college basketball tournament, along with all remaining winter and spring sports contests and tournaments.
Gaber said he knew it was only a matter of time before his season would also be impacted. Hocking, who is also an assistant women's basketball coach at Clarke, gathered his team shortly before the season was canceled.
"It just kind of hit us real quick. It seemed real surprising how the domino effect had kind of taken place," Hocking said. "I really feel for those seniors because they put in so much time and they were really looking forward to getting back out there. I was really looking forward to watching them compete."
Hocking said it was especially difficult for him with this year's class, which was his first recruiting class when he took the head coaching position at Clarke five years ago.
"It was a mixed feeling," Gaber said. "For me, playing golf, it wasn't as devastating I guess as others that play team sports where there are never going to get to play it again. I can play golf the rest of my life. I think that aspect made it easier."
Gaber the golfer
Gaber leaves the Clarke University program with a number of accolades, including serving as a team captain the last two seasons.
"He's extremely hard-working," Hocking said. "He's the kind of guy that isn't the most vocal leader in terms of putting himself out there with his teammates, but I tell you what, he's such a determined, hard-working young man who just kind of puts his head down."
Gaber's scoring average of 85.2 strokes per 18 holes ranks 19th all-time at Clarke. In his career, he made 49 starts for the Pride. His best year, statistically, was the 2018-19 campaign with a 84.5 scoring average that included a 2-over-par round of 74, and a fourth-place finish at an invitational tournament at Eagle Ridge General Course in Galena, Ill.
Gaber had played five varsity rounds during the fall portion of his senior season, averaging 85.6 strokes per round.
"He kind of had a little of an up-and-down fall season, going through a few swing changes and changing a few clubs in and out of his bag, but the one thing about Alex is that he's very determined," Hocking said. "I was really looking forward to him getting over that hump and playing his best golf his spring season."
Over his golf career, Gaber said he got to experience plenty of excellent golf courses, including TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill., the home of the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic, but the thing he will miss most is the camaraderie.
"A lot of it's just team atmosphere," he said. "It's hanging out with the guys before rounds, after rounds, just being there and being with them all. It's a big change in life, so being able to go through it with a couple people that you're close with was special. That will be missed."
Off the course
Gaber became active in student life at Clarke, founding and serving as the president of a bass fishing club on the campus, and serving as a resident assistant.
On and off the course, Hocking called Gaber, "an ideal type of recruit."
"When I look for a recruits I look for three things," he said. "I look for student-athletes who are No. 1, academically focused, No. 2 they have high character and No. 3 they're talented golfer. He hit the mold of all three of those things I was looking for and was just a great representation of our program and an ambassador of our school."
"If I could have five more Alex Gabers, I would take them in a heartbeat," he added.
Back at home
Gaber is back in Rhinelander now, finishing his spring semester classes. His major is Environmental Sciences. At home he can empathize with his two younger brothers, Devon and Carter, who were both scheduled to be on the RHS golf team this spring. Devon, a senior, recently committed to St. Ambrose University in Iowa to swim collegiately.
"We're both kind of in the boat where we're all at home and working through school and stuff," he said. "We're all eager to get out. Even with my youngest brother, Carter, it was going to be his freshman golf season. He was looking forward to that. So he's kind of bummed out too that they didn't get to participate."
While the world goes through this challenging time, Alex Gaber said he's applying lessons he learned through his collegiate career.
"You learn a lot about yourself going through school and playing golf in general," he said. "It takes a lot of mental strength to get through it. You learn a lot as you go through and I'm grateful for everything I've learned."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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