INDIANOLA, Iowa — Severe windchill advisories and blizzard conditions will not stop Simpson College athletes from practicing, even when classes are canceled.
On the first heavy snowfall of the season, Simpson College kept the campus open and running until around 9 a.m., when an email was sent out announcing the cancellation of classes on Jan. 9.
With a late cancellation decision, many students were already in class and coaches and faculty were already on campus.
While non-essential workers were encouraged to return home, many had to put a plan in place for the rest of the day.
Aside from classes, sanctioned sports practices also had to be adjusted for the safety of coaches and athletes.
Basketball, gymnastics, dance, wrestling, track and field, cheer, and many other teams are at the heart of the competitive season and lifting schedules.
Women’s gymnastics made their competition season debut by traveling to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. The threat of even more incoming snow made the team leave a day earlier than planned.
“We got cut a day of practice before the meet. We weren’t supposed to stay overnight at all, but we ended up having to stay two nights because of the weather,” Sophomore Emma Tolbert said.
Tolbert explained that six members of the team will not be able to travel to their upcoming competition because of their extended stay in La Crosse due to budget constraints.
The Storm basketball teams are in the heat of conference matchups and the winter storms resulted in the postponement of the games against Loras College. This did not stop the women’s basketball team from trekking through the snow to Cowles.
“When school was canceled, we usually moved practice up to earlier in the day, and our coaches couldn’t be there sometimes,” said junior Morgan Pietig, “I don’t think we’ve had a practice ever be canceled.”
While some teams were lucky enough to get through the storms to practice and competition, some athletes were not so lucky.
The Simpson College Dance Team recently traveled to Orlando, Florida to compete at the UDA College Nationals. While most of the team was enjoying 60-degree weather, there was a missing piece.
“I had to sit on the runway for almost 4 hours waiting for them to de-ice the plane,” said senior Megan Hall.
“I am currently student-teaching, and with the strict attendance rules, I was flying out a day later than the rest of the girls. After getting my original flight canceled, my coach rescheduled me onto a direct flight.”
“They let us on the new plane, I sat on there forever, they made us get off, and ultimately it was going to be so late that I was going to miss everything,” Hall explained.
Hall was cutting it so close that she was in full makeup, hair, and costume, ready to get off the plane and jump on stage.
“I definitely got some looks, but once they saw my backpack with ‘SC Dance’ on it, they got the gist of why I looked so fancy for the flight,” Hall said.
According to KCCI, Indianola totaled almost two feet of snow between the past few flurries, but that did not stop the dedication of Simpson’s student-athletes.
Hoping for no more cancellations, the women’s gymnastics team will travel to the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh to compete against the Titans on Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. to continue their season.
The women’s and the men’s basketball teams’ faceoffs against the Loras College Duhawks have been rescheduled to Feb. 5, starting at 5:30 p.m., and 7:30 p.m., respectively.
Additionally, the Storm dancers still have one more chance to compete this season at Wartburg College on Feb.18 for the 2024 American Rivers Conference Competitive Cheerleading & Dance Championship.
