I am sure I am not alone when I say this, but it has certainly been quite the week. Last Monday I arrived in Australia, anxious and ready to get on the pitch as quickly as possible, only to discover that coronavirus would soon turn my world upside down. As of yesterday, an announcement was made that all football would be put on hold until April 14th.
There will be no practices and no matches until that date. And so, here I am, a foreigner living in a new country while my friends and family back home are in self isolation, and we aren’t too far from doing the same.
Additionally, the two things I came here for-coaching and playing- I will not be able to do for another four weeks.
I came across something on social media the other day regarding the coronavirus. Someone had posted that the one thing that coaches claim to never have enough of is time and this might be the only case where we now have quite a lot of it.
The question is, what will everyone choose to do with it?
For me, I have had some time to process what is going on and what I can and can not control. During this time, I still plan to take advantage of every opportunity I have to explore this country and do so safely. I will not put my life on hold out of fear.
While the coronavirus certainly affects some aspects of my work, it does not keep me from continuing to do what needs to be done. For my college responsibilities, I am still able to recruit athletes online- something that I need to be more disciplined about. In addition, I can still plan individual or small group training sessions for the girls I will be working with while in Australia.
People ask me what I will do, given my situation. I respond with one word: live.
Read Sarah’s previous posts:
My Coaching Story: Goodbye United States, Hello Australia
