How Sophomore Football Player Used COVID-19 To Improve His Game

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In a Covid-free world, the Pacifiic University football team would be 7 games into their 2020 season. However, with the fall season being postponed, returning defensive back Koari’i Atkinson-Sioloa is not wrapping up his sophomore season in the next couple of weeks. 

The Northwest Conference postponed fall sports to the spring and will only schedule 50% of regular season games. This might sound like an all around bad thing for athletes but it actually allows them an extra year of eligibility. Sioloa said he plans to use his extra year of eligibility and take this pandemic as an opportunity to hone his craft and improve as an athlete. 

 Sioloa, a Kinesiology major here at Pacific, kept up his training at home this summer in Hawaii. Being sent home in early March and having to stay home for nearly 5 months, allowed Sioloa to step out of his comfort zone. With his makeshift weight room in his garage and his local football coach’s suggestion, Sioloa found himself picking up a new hobby: crossfit. 

“Luckily on my island, I had an opportunity to get better. Its population is small so I was able to do crossfit and some football training with my coach on the beaches. I had the ability to train, so there wasn’t an excuse to not get better.”

  Over the summer the football team stayed in contact with each other through weekly zoom meetings. The coaches gave them body weight or weight workouts depending on every player’s circumstances back at home. Sioloa said having coaches who were so supportive and willing to adapt throughout quarantine made it easier to stay motivated and stay hopeful for a successful year, no matter what was thrown at them. 

Sioloa continues to stay on a consistent workout routine at school that allows him to be successful in the classroom and on the field. The football team has three official practices a week and has scheduled lifts four times a week. Sioloa stays motivated in this time of uncertainty through the goals he set for himself.

“I wrote down my goals that I want to reach each year. It just helps me to keep that fire and desire because I want to make a name for myself.” 

Sioloa knows how much room he has to grow as a player so he’s looking forward to the extra time to train. With COVID-19 shutting down local gyms and facilities, athletes basically had every excuse in the book to not get better this summer but Sioloa did not feed into that. Instead, he found the silver lining of the pandemic. 

“It is all about how people choose to use their time. You can either use it or you can waste it. It’s that simple.” 

With Sioloa’s dedication in his off time this summer, he’s more than ready to put in the work with his team every chance he gets. The football team has a bright future ahead proven by the commitment shown by both the staff and the players during this pandemic. — Emily Rutkowski

Photo: Atkinson-Sioloa making a tackle against Puget Sound in a 60-55 win on November 2, 2019 (Emily Rutkowski)

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Major: Journalism

Hometown: Mesa, Arizona

Hobbies: soccer, track, being outside, hiking, writing

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