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International Braves adjust to life during a pandemic

Being an international student-athlete comes with a unique set of challenges. Now, in the middle of a global pandemic, the struggles are amplified. 

With different countries still under travel restrictions, some Braves found themselves questioning whether or not they could even get back to the Hilltop this fall.

Senior tennis player Sandra Maletin decided to spend her summer in Serbia, where she grew up. Her family, however, currently resides in Germany. Her troubles started with simply being able to move around Europe.

Serbia was put under a strict lockdown and upon arrival, Maletin quarantined for 28 days.  A week before the nation’s elections, the country opened back up and saw a surge in COVID-19 cases soon after. 

“Serbia was banned from entering EU countries,“ Maletin said. “I didn’t know if I was able to come back at all.“

Senior soccer player Gerit Wintermeyer shared similar struggles getting back to Bradley. Originally, he planned to go home to Germany during spring break to undergo a sports hernia surgery. What was supposed to be only two weeks to recover turned into six months at home.

Wintermeyer wanted to get back to the U.S. for the summer to train for the season, but couldn’t until early August.

“I kept calling the airlines,” Wintermeyer said. “I kept calling the German embassy, I kept sending out emails … to all kinds of people in hopes to somehow find a way to get back in the U.S.”

Fresh off a Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title, sophomore basketball player Ville Tahvanainen didn’t run into the same problems as Maletin and Wintermeyer. He returned to Helsinki, Finland, where restrictions were relatively light. As a result, he had a busy six months at home.

Finnish citizens are required to serve six months in the military, of which he only had two months left. He returned as soon as school let out early in March to finish his military service.

Tahvanainen also spent time with the Finnish national basketball team where, because of travel restrictions, he was only able to practice and scrimmage with his teammates.

“I was just enjoying summer,” Tahvanainen said. “[The response to COVID] was pretty good in Finland, so it was safe to be there.”

Upon returning to Peoria, many of the international student-athletes went through a “soft quarantine,” spending time alone with limited contact from others. Now, as the first week of classes came and went, they’re now finding themselves adjusting to a new groove.

All three athletes were excited to get back to Peoria and look forward to spending time with their teammates.

With the MVC deciding to postpone fall sports, Maletin looks forward to using this extra time to strengthen her skills.

“I miss playing matches just being there as a team,” Maletin said. “We’re [going to have] a lot of time just to work on ourselves … so we get better for [the] spring season.”

While the MVC is currently still planning to play basketball this winter, there are many unknown factors. Tahvanainen looks to use the added freedom of online classes to his advantage.

“I only have one in-person class,” Tahvanainen said. “There’s more time to go out, practice by yourself, hang out with your teammates [and] get to know new teammates.”

On the other hand, Wintermeyer plans to graduate this December, meaning he is still unsure if he will get to play his last season as a Brave. 

“It’s frustrating and saddening,” Wintermeyer said. “I don’t know quite yet what I’m doing after [school] … Putting in all this work, all summer and at home, it’s just not a good feeling.”

Despite not knowing what the future holds, Wintermeyer remains optimistic for his teammates who will eventually get to play soccer.

“We only have like six or seven upperclassmen,” Wintermeyer said. “We’ll have more experience the next couple years. A lot of guys have time to adjust to college soccer and time to adjust to Bradley soccer.”

Student-athletes are understandably frustrated with the uncertainty that lies ahead. For now, they are looking forward to getting back to playing when it is safe to do so.

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