With experience in athletics
and medicine, Alex Sobczak
understands both sides
Former Michigan softball
player
Alex
Sobczak
used
to devote hours upon hours
every
week
to
practice,
games,
conditioning
and
team activities. The rest of
her waking hours were spent
working on her Biopsychology,
Cognition and Neuroscience
degree to prepare her for
medical school.
Since graduating in 2019,
Sobczak has spent the past year
researching topics in medicine
at the University of Michigan’s
hospital system and applying
to medical schools. While she
hasn’t finalized her decision,
Sobczak’s research has already
been valuable. She studies
opioids and transplants, but
more recently
has conducted
research
on
COVID-19.
In
doing
so,
Sobczak
has
garnered
a
wealth
of
knowledge
about
the
virus. Despite
what
she
now
knows,
for
Sobczak,
what she still
doesn’t know
is her primary
reason
for
concern.
Especially
as
it
surrounds
athletics.
“I think there’s just a lot of
misconceptions about COVID-
19 right now,” Sobczak said.
“As a healthy 23-year old, I
get that somebody my age isn’t
going to be super concerned
about getting a severe case of
COVID-19, but in all honesty,
nobody really knows the long-
term effects of it.”
The mystery of the possible
long-term effects, put simply,
is quite worrying. And for
anyone on the outside of a
sport looking in, that’s why
universities and conferences
are so apprehensive to begin
play — they don’t know what
could happen to these players
in the future after contracting
the virus.
Not only are they young,
as Sobczak mentioned, but
college athletes are in fantastic
shape. The likelihood of an
athlete having a severe case
that lands them hospitalized
is minimal, but the possible
underlying after-effects, such
as
myocarditis
and
other
unknowns,
are
concerning.
In order to play, these risks
must be minimized as much
as possible. The decision to
be made is how strict these
restrictions and precautions
need to be.
“I think you’re going to
have to sacrifice on both
ends,” Sobczak said. “ … You
don’t want to put players’
health
at
risk.
Especially
not knowing the long term
effects of COVID-19 and how
it affects the organs. I would
be concerned playing right
now personally. I think it’s
so hard to keep a bubble right
now, especially on a college
campus, and I guess it’s really
up to weighing the sacrifices
on both ends and what that
looks like.”
With the near-impossible
implementation of a bubble
on a college campus, the
preventative
measures
fall
squarely
on
three
things:
masks, testing and staying
within the team’s rudimentary
bubble. And with cases on the
rise as football, fall and winter
sports start dates approach,
those two elements become
even more important.
Still,
Sobczak
understands
the
desire
for
athletes
to play. She
herself was a
player, and she
knows plenty
of athletes on
the
softball
team
and
elsewhere.
Athletics
is
their
escape.
It is their way
to cope with
the stress, fear
and
anxiety
surrounding
the pandemic.
For many, it
is a huge part of their life and
of who they are. For some, it
might even be their profession,
such as Sobczak’s fiancé, Nick
Plummer, an outfielder in the
St. Louis Cardinals’ minor
league system.
“Being engaged to somebody
who’s in baseball right now, I
think it’s really hard to see
that he can’t play his sport,”
Sobczak said. “It’s devastating
when you work your whole life
for something and you don’t
know when you’re going to get
back to it and it’s an outlet for
you. I think that’s been hard.
It’s weighed on a lot of us. It
weighed on me.”
Despite
the
difficulty,
Sobczak is glad her fiancé is
not playing. The health risks, to
her, justify personal decisions
not to play when protocol isn’t
air tight, such as in the MLB
and affiliate leagues as well
as college campuses where
a bubble is unlikely and the
virus can spread rapidly.
In her eyes, to proceed, not
only do you need multiple
levels
of
precaution,
but
you need to be aware of the
consequences.
“As
much
as
you
love
sports,” Sobczak said, “you
have to watch out for people’s
health and be concerned about
the aftermath for something
like this.”
NICHOLAS STOLL
Daily Sports Writer
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Former softball player Alex Sobczak has studied COVID-19 through her research.
How Paul Juda continued to perfect his craft
during COVID-19
With gyms closed and no
end to quarantine in sight,
Paul
Juda
initially
found
it challenging to motivate
himself. Juda, a sophomore
standout and reigning Big Ten
Freshman of The Year on the
Michigan men’s gymnastics
team, decided to use the
unexpected
shut-down
to
take time off from his intense
training regimen.
“Athletes are humans too, at
least I am,” Juda said. “I let my
body take a little bit of a break.
You never know how stressed
out you are until you take a
break.”
But the time off, his first
in a long while, gave Juda a
new perspective on the sport
he loves and trains for every
single day.
“Staying at home for the
first time without gymnastics
for an extended period of time,
and getting back in the gym
that first day,” Juda said, “that
makes you really remember
why you fell in love with the
sport to begin with.”
Juda
conditioned
throughout
the
quarantine
through
home
workouts
hosted over Zoom, but his first
time back in the gym and being
able to perform even basic
gymnastics sets inspired him
to take advantage of the break.
“I did a lot of cardio on
my stationary bike at home,”
Juda said. “Every hour that
I spent on there sweating it
out, I thought about how much
closer I would be than the
next guy who’s doing nothing
during this break.
“That kind of pushed me the
most, the thought that these
hours that you don’t get back,
I’m using them to get over the
edge.”
That
mentality
is
what
propelled Juda even before
coming to Michigan when
he was competing against
international gymnasts and
placing in the top three against
Olympians at the United States
Senior Championship in 2019.
Still,
the
transition
to
Michigan and a Division I
program wasn’t as easy as it
would seem, even for someone
as talented as Juda.
“It
wasn’t
all
sunshine
and rainbows,” Juda said.
“Adjusting to the academics
and the amount of work it
takes to compete at this level
was tougher than I expected.
I got homesick for sure, even
though my parents were close
by.”
But by his second semester,
Juda set a goal to become
a leader for the team in all
aspects,
even
on
a
team
primarily
composed
of
upperclassmen.
He
pushed
for
an
environment
that
only
accepts
excellence,
which carries into the team’s
dynamic this year and going
forward.
“All that really changed for
me this year is my class rank,”
Juda said. “I’m still trying to
achieve the same goals I set
since I got here. It’s demanding
excellence and being your
best.”
The team has also changed
with a lot of fresh faces, giving
Juda a new perspective on the
upcoming season.
“Having a younger team is
really good for me because I
like the idea of showing people
the steps they should follow
and guiding them towards
using intelligent moves in the
gym,” Juda said. “I can sense
the hunger from the guys
without having to motivate
them too much.”
He and the team continue
to have high expectations
for their future and aim to
bring Michigan the NCAA
Championship that the team
worked tirelessly for during
last year before their season
was canceled.
Amid
adjusting
to
U-M
academics, with his mentality
pushing him, Juda was also
selected for the United States
Men’s Senior National Team
in
February,
becoming
its
youngest
member
at
just
19 years old. The day after,
Juda was selected for the
Pan American Games, one of
the
now-postponed
Tokyo
Olympics qualifier events for
the U.S. But yet again, Juda
looks at this temporary pause
as a building block to his
eventual goal.
“If
anything,
this
postponement of the Olympics
is
only
advantageous
to
someone in my particular
situation,” he said. “It’s a
whole year of development for
me, and I focus on training
through efficiency and not
wasting the time I have.
What’s most important for
me going forward is my body,
mind, and nutrition while
being happy and staying close
with my teammates.”
BECCA MAHON/Daily
Sophomore gymnast Paul Juda stayed locked in, finding creative ways to work out from home while he was unable to train at the gym.
ABBAS KAGAL
For The Daily
18 — Wednesday, October 14, 2020
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
This
past
August,
the
Michigan golf teams and Ann
Arbor community lost a key
member in Charlie Green, who
passed away at age 84.
For the typical Michigan fan,
Charlie’s would not exactly be
considered a household name.
But, to many entrenched in
the golf lore here at Michigan,
Charlie Green was synonymous
with the program.
Charlie served as clubhouse
manager for the U-M Golf
Course for 52 years. His role in
this position was not only crucial
to the course’s operation, but
also to the golf teams as a whole.
“Being there so much, he
obviously knew all of the golf
coaches
and
the
teams
in
particular,” Charlie’s son, Sean
Green said. “As they were going
off on golf trips, he would be
there, pretty often to send them
off on the bus. He always took an
active interest in all the players
and the team.”
Seeing as his career lasted
five decades, Charlie took pride
in the seemingly more mundane
parts of his work as clubhouse
manager; he helped organize
club outings, oversaw day to day
operations, managed staff and
worked hands on to set up for
important course events. But
beyond this, Charlie was as close
as one could get to an honorary
member of the Wolverines’ golf
programs.
“Charlie’s office was the first
thing that any guest or staff
member saw when they came
into the clubhouse,” former
Michigan coach Chris Whitten
said. “Charlie was really my
introduction to the athletic
department, to golf at Michigan
in general, and really the history
of the athletic department and
the people who had been a part
of it.”
In addition to serving the
golf course in any way possible,
Charlie continued to be a beacon
of warm nature and created
a welcoming atmosphere for
golfers. Many have said that
Charlie made everyone on the
team feel more at home, and
made the university a little bit
smaller.
“(Charlie)
represented
a
connection
to
(the
players),
and he is one of the people that
created a new home away from
home for these young kids
coming to a big University for
the first time,” Whitten said.
“He was kind of like the father,
or grandfather figure for a lot of
those kids.”
Charlie was not your typical
clubhouse manager. Often, he
made it a part of his job to take
interest in the lives of players.
Unlike many coaches they may
have
encountered,
Charlie
more than anything else was
particularly interested in what
Whitten referred to as “non-golf
things.” These often included
how
players’
families
were
doing, how school was going
and what they were interested in
off the course. Having a person
like Charlie ask about these
things every day helped make
the clubhouse feel like a second
home.
“The coaches see the kids
every day … we skip some of the
personal stuff, just ‘How are
you doing?’ ” Whitten said. “The
fact that they had to walk past
Charlie’s door before they got to
the coaches, he got to ask them
how they were as people.”
Today, a lasting memory of
Charlie persists in the form of
a plaque at the tee of the sixth
hole, commemorating his career.
The hole serendipitously named
for Charlie was his favorite. It
was endowed in his name by
university donor John Buck in
2001, and it is often described as
one of the most memorable and
masterful holes at the course.
“(Buck) wanted to make a
gift to the university,” Sean
Green said. “But, the first thing
he thought of was my dad. He
wanted my dad recognized for
all of the hours and effort he
put in at the course, and with
athletics in general.”
Sean recounted that the hole’s
endowment “brought tears” to
Charlie’s eyes. It was a profound
commemoration
of
a
truly
profound career and man.
The
hole
itself
could
certainly be described as the
most memorable on the course.
Whitten described it in detail:
“The hole is really unique. The
design of the green, the length of
the hole, the strategy options, it
definitely is the hole that people
remember when they think of
the course.”
Although arguably the most
significant hole at the course was
named after him, Charlie never
let it affect his work.
“While
he
was
deeply
thankful for it, he treated
everyone the same still and was
always willing to help and be
hands on,” Sean Green said.
Charlie also was a major
proponent of women’s sports at
Michigan. He was incredibly
passionate about the promotion
of the women’s golf team in its
inception.
“He really thought it was
extremely important for women
to have the opportunity to play.
… It was really about equality,”
women’s golf coach Jan Dowling
said.
Charlie was always incredibly
interested in making the course
more playable and providing
opportunities for all people to
play and participate.
Dowling said Charlie wanted
to “grow the game” and make
the course more accessible.
Dowling recounted a story about
the “women’s” tees at the course.
“They’re not the ‘women’s
tees,’ he calls them the maize
tees,” Dowling said. “Guys can
play it, girls can play it, it was
really all about equality.”
To commemorate his passion
for women’s sports, the women’s
golf league at the course has a
tournament named in his honor.
Charlie’s presence in the
clubhouse was an important one.
He played a vital role for so many
members of the golf teams, and
his story and contributions will
be commemorated by course-
goers for years to come.
CHRISTIAN JULIANO
For The Daily
Charlie Green changed Michigan
golf, and his memory remains
FILE PHOTO/Daily
As much as you
love sports, you
have to watch out
for people’s health
and be concerned
about the aftermath
for something
like this.