Listen Here
By Erin Moran
morane@findlay.edu
A weekend stretch of snow and extreme cold temperatures resulted in the University of Findlay being shut down Monday, Jan. 26 and Tuesday Jan. 27, briefly disrupting academic operations and altering athletic teams’ routines in the midst of a busy travel week.
University officials closed campus because of weather and safety concerns, canceling in-person classes and limiting access to athletic facilities.
For UF’s athletic teams, the Level Three shutdown resulted in the cancellation of mandatory practices on Monday. Coaches could not be present or require athletes to participate in workouts. After the Level Three status was changed to a Level Two on Tuesday, practices with coaches in attendance were permitted.
The Oilers have a busy travel schedule this week with basketball, wrestling, and track and field all participating in away competitions from Thursday to Saturday.
The University communicated the shutdown through emails to coaches and staff as well as players who had the opportunity for optional gym access.
“Sunday was already our day off. As for Monday, I haven’t seen our players yet, but I would assume the majority of them went to the FRC and got some shots in,” Men’s Basketball Head Coach Charles Ernst wrote in an email interview. “Others may have used it to freshen up their bodies and took the day off. It was up to them.”
Despite the early travel date of Wednesday, Jan. 28, for both men’s and women’s basketball teams, no travel changes were needed.
“One day off just means that we will have to get more accomplished in the days we have,” wrote Ernst.
Michele Durand, the women’s basketball head coach, said the disruption was less about logistics and more inconvenient to their known schedule.
“It just messes with our routine,” said Durand. “I can’t control the weather or what the university does, so we just have to go with the flow.”
Both teams are traveling to Kentucky Wesleyan in Owensboro, Kentucky for the Jan. 29 match, and then to Cedarville on Saturday, Jan 31.
For wrestling, the timing of the shutdown came just before the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Championship, adding another layer of challenge.
“Our guys did a pretty good job,” said Shawn Nelson, the wrestling head coach. “They found something to do.”
“Before, we would have just left, workout there, but now I feel like we have to work out here and then work out again there,” said Nelson.
Nelson noted the impact of the disruption and the ability to adapt, especially with the strict rules regarding weight of the athletes.
“For our guys, we have to weigh in and our schedule is super tight,” said Nelson. “Our kids have to be a bit more disciplined.”
The Roughnecks are coming off a 46-3 win against Davenport on Jan. 24. The team will travel to Owensboro, Kentucky for the GMAC tournament on Saturday, Jan. 31.
Track and field is also managing travel this week, with the Oilers heading to Penn State for competition, departing Thursday.
Across all programs, coaches emphasized adaptability as a core value in athletics.
“As a coach or leader, you always have to be ready to pivot,” wrote Ernst.
“Coaches have to be flexible or they are going to struggle, not only with their team but with getting the kids to understand certain things are more important than others”, said Nelson.
“We always talk about controlling the controlables,” said Durand. “We always have to adapt to a lot of different things.”
Although the shutdown lasted only one day and did not cause travel changes, it highlighted the importance of flexibility of athletics especially as the Oilers hit midway points of their competitive seasons.
