When the Army women’s lacrosse team convened on Goldstein Field on August 31 for the team’s first practice in 172 days, it was easy to spot the differences.
There were no contact drills. Players were divided into small groups with their positions. Everyone wore neck gaiters that they pulled up anytime they gathered for a huddle or when social distancing wasn’t possible. Coaches wore face shields instead of masks, so the cadet-athletes could read their expressions.
The Black Knights were more than willing to embrace the protocols to take the field together, despite the visible changes.
“As you can imagine after being off for almost six months, there is just a palpable enthusiasm and gratitude for being out there as a team,” Army head coach Kristen Skiera said between recruiting calls last Thursday.
Skiera has guided the Black Knights from their first season as a Division I program in 2016 to a top 20 vote-getter and Patriotic League contender. At the center of that rise was the Class of 2020. After going 5-12 during their freshman spring — which included a nine-game losing streak — those players contributed to three winning seasons. In 2019, they went 14-5 and made their first appearance in the Patriot League tournament, advancing to the semifinals. Last spring, bolstered by the top draw control percentage in the nation and a defense that gave up the second-fewest goals per game, the Black Knights started 7-0. The mark tied the program’s longest single-season winning streak.
“To have that much success in a short period of time really speaks highly of their dedication, character and willingness to get better every day,” Skiera said of the 11 Firsties, who became the largest class of women's lacrosse players commissioned into the Army to date. “I can’t say enough great things about what they’ve done for our program.”
On the heels of an 11-8 win over East Carolina during their spring break, the Black Knights hoped to continue setting records and brandishing their legacy during their first Patriot League game of the season on Saturday, March 14.
Yet on that Thursday as the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic began to reverberate throughout the sports world, the Patriot League canceled all practices and competition — effective Monday, March 16. The team still prepared for Holy Cross, but Skiera also organized a game of dodgeball because she thought this could be their last time on the field together. That premonition soon proved true.
Later that evening, when the players went off on their own to get dinner at local haunts like American Burrito, they found out the season was definitively canceled.
Skiera resolved to let the team salvage their last few days of spring break, then regroup the following Monday as a team to craft their plan for moving forward.
That Monday never came.
“We tried to move forward with as much positivity and optimism as possible,” Skiera said. “Certainly our graduating Class of 2020 set the tone for us to be able to do that.”
Back home with their families, when not focused on virtual classes or film study sessions, they shared guava popsicle recipes, game day eye black “war paint” tutorials, and karaoke renditions of Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” via Zoom — all posted on the program’s Twitter account. They embodied the team’s mantra of FEAR: “Face Everything And Rise.” They held a virtual “Senior Sendoff” that lasted nearly three hours. The Firsties also penned essays for a series on the Army athletics website called “West Point, to thee.”
One theme echoed throughout most of their reflections: Cherish time with your teammates.
“Being where I am now, I would give anything to be back on the goal line with my team,” senior defender Ryan Murphy wrote. “I have never felt more connected to people than in those moments.”
Those personal connections are why Skiera got into coaching. Not having those meaningful exchanges with the team on a daily basis was the hardest part of the time they were separated.
After their in-person graduation on June 13, the Class of 2020 spent hours at Skiera’s house on-post, hanging out and reminiscing over their 47-month journey at West Point. Skiera called it the highlight of her summer.
The other moment that stuck with Skiera the most over the past six months was when she virtually welcomed the Class of 2024 to West Point before they embarked on basic training, also known as “Beast,” on July 17. Although August 31 was the team’s first time on the field this academic year, there were lots of logistical meetings leading up to that date to review the protocols and plans that West Point’s Senior Leadership and the athletic department began to formulate almost as soon as the cadets were sent home.
“We wanted the girls to feel confident about the safety protocols and know that they are easy to follow,” Skiera said. “We tried to simplify it as much as possible, while also being as safe as possible.”
While the staff hope to commence full team practices and contact drills within the next two weeks, the small group skill work has allowed the seniors a platform to lead and set the tone for the rest of the team. Despite the unique circumstances and persistent uncertainty about what the spring season will look like, everyone’s expectations of the product and effort level on a daily basis have not dipped.
“Our mentality is that we have to be prepared for anything, whatever the spring brings,” Skiera said. “In my mind, if someone told us we have to play Navy on February 15, we’re going to be prepared on February 15. We’re preparing for the spring, but nothing is guaranteed.”
Since the Cadets are not allowed to leave post, creating a so-called “bubble” at West Point, Skiera and the coaching staff have tried to schedule more social events, whether that’s paintball, or yoga, or movie nights. On September 5, they ran a 5K for Athletes United, then watched the Army football team rout Middle Tennessee State 42-0 at Michie Stadium. The only fans in attendance were the Corps of Cadets.
“There are good days in life, and on rare occasions, there are great days,” the author John Feinstein wrote in a recap of the game. “In a year that has been filled with dark and dangerous days around the world, Saturday afternoon at Michie Stadium was about as close to perfect as anyone could possibly hope to see.”
After the abrupt end to last season, Skiera said this fall there seems to be a greater sense of urgency to treat every practice as if it were the last and to be happy with the effort put forth. It’s evident through the team’s energy and smiles — although at times they’re obscured by their gaiters.
Skiera, whose Twitter bio reads, “Blessed beyond measure,” feels the same way.
“The time that I have around the team every day is the best gift,” she said. “It allows me to be in my element and my happy place. You want to make sure now you’re slowing things down and that we’re all taking the time to be grateful for what we have and this safe environment here at West Point to do what we love.”