How did players stay in shape while in football limbo due to pandemic?
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It was all about staying sharp and staying in shape. Those were the goals of George Karlaftis as he waited for and hoped for a 2020 fall season.
“You know, it was tough,” said Karlaftis of working on his own after the pandemic shuttered team activities in March. “It was tough to do so. You know, obviously, we have iPads that we take home, and I was able to really have a lot of time to watch film, to keep my mind sharp and just still be engaged in football, even though I'm not practicing or anything like that.”
Karlaftis and his Purdue teammates were in football limbo as the Big Ten tried to figure out a way to play a 2020 season. Back on August 11, the league announced it was postponing the season. Conference leaders didn’t know all of the health consequences of playing football amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the fall. So, the Big Ten opted to punt based on knowledge gathered from its medical experts.
Would there be a Big Ten season in the fall? Would it be in the winter? The spring? Would there be a season at all?
Uncertainty hung in the air. But Karlaftis and his teammates kept forging ahead and working out—often on their own back home—in hopes of playing a season … be it in the fall of 2020 or the winter/spring of 2021.
“I mean, really, home workouts were the most I could do for working out for that whole quarantine period,” said fifth-year senior offensive tackle Grant Hermanns. “And then, really, reading and watching some film. And not just Purdue film on myself but other players who were much better than me. So, watching those guys and maybe learning different techniques or whatever it is. That’s kind of one way I tried to stay sharp and tired to stay in the game.”
Purdue was in the midst of 2020 spring practice when the pandemic put a halt to in-person learning on campus. The Boilermakers had gotten in eight practices before spring drills were shut down.
Students were sent home to finish the spring semester remotely. Some football players stayed on campus to finish classes—and remained during the summer under tight health and safety protocols. But many Purdue players also went home, where they had to stay sharp on their own. For Karlaftis, home is West Lafayette, a short trip for the sophomore and still rife with the challenges of staying sharp on his own.
“I had a little setup, a little home gym that I was able to utilize to the best of its ability,” said Karlaftis. “And then I'd be going outside with my brother or some family members or whoever, and they could help me out with my technique in any way possible. I would take anything I could get. Just being creative and doing everything I can while staying safe.”
Like Karlaftis, junior quarterback Aidan O’Connell spent a lot of time away from the team with his iPad studying video.
“You know, I think as bad as the pandemic was in terms of us not being able to be here, I think our technology makes it a lot easier,” said O’Connell. “And, you know, we have our iPads and we can watch film anytime of the day. So, there's really no excuse, especially at the quarterback position, for not spending a lot of time watching film … there's no limit on how much film you can sit down and watch. It’s not taxing on your body, so you can sit down for hours and watch … “
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True freshman offensive lineman Gus Hartwig had graduated high school early and was on campus to take part in spring drills. But he soon found himself driving back to his house in Zionsville, Ind.
“I went home,” said Hartwig “I was trying to work out. There's a hill in Zionsville I was running, or I was working out in the backyard, just trying to stay sharp, trying to find weights. We got a bench in my dad's basement and I tried to work out that way.”
Not having the structure of scheduled workouts at Purdue’s Kozuch Football Performance Complex can challenge young players to keep fit without constant supervision. It takes discipline to stay in shape and train largely on your own.
“Oh, I knew it was gonna be hard for a lot of us,” said sophomore wideout Amad Anderson, Jr. “But my biggest thing was just staying consistent, doing all the things that I could develop myself into helping me when the season came. So … being consistent and just making sure that I'm staying in the best shape possible for whenever football came back.”
And that day finally arrived on Sept. 16, when the Big Ten announced it would play a nine-game Big Ten-only season beginning Oct. 24 and ending Dec. 18-19 made possible by improved health standards highlighted by daily rapid testing. The Boilermakers will open at home vs. Iowa on Oct. 24.
“We've been working hard all offseason and during the spring and summer,” said sophomore running back King Doerue. “(Strength and conditioning) Coach (Domenic) Reno has been doing a good job keeping us in shape, improving our strength, and we've been doing a lot of drills and … honing in on a lot of mistakes made last season … “
Added sophomore safety Cam Allen.
“You gotta get better each and every day,” he said. “Some days, I didn't feel like doing stuff. I just always put my head down. (The season is) gonna come around sooner or later. So, whenever it does, be ready for that.”
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