Like many other student-led organizations on campus, the Kenyon Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (KSAAC) has been adapting to the unusual circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

KSAAC normally updates the Kenyon community on the athletic competitions going on each week, helping to promote interest in them and celebrating the athletes' performances. Normal operations also include regular meetings, fundraising events, bringing speakers to campus and holding in-game promotions, among other things. This year, with the cancellation of fall sports and the majority of the KSAAC officers away from campus, things are obviously different and adjustments are required.
  
Vice President of Operations Eras Yager is KSAAC's lone officer in Gambier. A sophomore, Yager has had to take on more of an organizational role. However, a revamped, on-campus leadership team has been put together to assist Yager. That team includes Illana Blackwood, Jake Davidson and Sofia Rehrig. Additionally, every athletic program has sophomore representatives in KSAAC that can help with the planning and execution of on-campus activities. Officers and other KSAAC reps that are currently off campus are still contributing when possible.

"There's been no problem reaching out to the other officers who might be more experienced than me with dealing with certain things, and they've been very helpful," Yager said. Technology, such as Zoom, has also allowed the group to still conduct meetings and stay connected from afar.

Despite these challenges, the members of KSAAC have still been working to put together a fall program that will feature a fun event or game each Saturday. The first of these events, a capture the flag tournament, occurred Saturday at McBride Field.

The idea for KSAAC to host fun events on Saturdays emerged soon after Kenyon announced its reopening plan in mid-July.

"Traditionally, Saturdays were a big competition day, so people would be traveling or we'd have home games that people could attend, and since that's been removed we're trying to do fun activities," Yager added.

Davidson added that the lack of fall varsity sports "took a dent out of a lot of people's schedules" and that having events on Saturdays could help repair that. "You can still kind of get that competitive drive, you can still have fun and you can see people that you normally haven't been able to."

"Being in season takes a lot of time and you don't get to meet as many people," Yager said, "So now since everyone's out of season, having competitions among all athletes might provide [an opportunity for] people to be able to know each other better and just have a good time."

Saturday's capture the flag tournament was a good starting point, providing a bit of socialization and competition while adhering to COVID-19 protocols. Teams were limited to ten and each player had a pool noodle to tag opponents to avoid touching one another. Masks were worn the entire time.

"We're trying to make sure to take proper protocols, asking the Athletics Director [Jill McCartney] what we can or can't do before we step on to the field," Yager said.

"We're really just trying to make sure that we're following all the rules, how many people can be on the field at the same time, making sure that people are distanced out," Davidson added.

Each game of the tournament was 15 minutes long. The team that captured the flag the most within that time was declared the winner and advanced to the next round. Ties were settled cordially by one additional round of play.

The games were full of energy as teams employed various tactics, ranging from aggressive attacking to more calculated cat-and-mouse style and only striking when opportunities presented themselves.

"People were extremely excited to be able to compete and have a good time," Davidson said.

Ultimately, the men's tennis team won the tournament, besting the men's swimming and diving team in the finals.

In addition to organizing KSAAC Saturday activities, the group has other plans for staying engaged with the campus community. One of those ideas is collaborating with Every Vote Counts, another student-led organization that encourages people to both register to vote and to show up at the polls in November. Yager mentioned that many members of KSAAC are "really passionate about it," and that doing something to encourage voting is particularly paramount to the organization with Ohio's October 5 voter registration deadline looming.

The group's planning and organizing hasn't been an easy path to maintain, but Yager and KSAAC are making the best of it. "In these times, it's kind of hard to plan ahead because everything is very touch and go."

The capture the flag tournament, however, was a good indication that KSAAC can still bring athletes together and have them participate in events in a fun and safe manner.

"I think it will just keep getting better and better," Davidson said.