OpEd: 2020 Could Be OCR’s Strongest Season
Author: AC Hale
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The Covid-19 pandemic is what 2020 – including our 2020 season – will be remembered by. Gyms are closed. Many places have mandatory quarantines. Races have been canceled or postponed. None of us know what’s going to happen next – with life or our season. Prior to this, we were at a point where the sport of OCR was experiencing its own issues. Remember when we were focused on Spartan buying Tough Mudder? It seems so long ago, doesn’t it?
One thing I’m confident of: Once this is over, OCR will be back. It may be mid-summer. It may be fall. But in the future, there will be obstacle course races. We will get to see our friends on the course again!
We have 2 doors we can walk through from here. 1) Get slack on our training. Give up on the season. Quit. Or, 2) Continue to train like our favorite race is in 2 weeks. Buy some merch online. Encourage friends who’ve never raced before to come with us.
Our race brands need us – especially the smaller, local races. The owners of Savage and Conquer the Gauntlet have both posted videos explaining the financial bind this puts them in. If we want to have a sport around when this is over, with more than 1 brand of choice, we need to champion these race companies.
“But I’m broke.” Races always need volunteers. It takes an army of volunteers to help set up, tear down, hand out medals, or work booths. Some races have let staff go. Volunteers will be essential once 2020 resumes. I volunteered for the first time last year. It was an amazing experience. You get to see all the hard work that goes into putting on a race, which makes you appreciate the event. Add some swag and free entry, and it’s a blast!
Right now everyone is thinking about their health more than ever. How easy would it be to introduce newcomers to this sport we love. A chance to celebrate their health, work towards a goal, and enjoy social togetherness. 2020 could be the season more new people discover the sport, thanks to us. It can be the season when a bunch of us crush goals because we’ve had a longer off-season to train. The season where we hug and high five each other because we made it through Covid-19.
I believe OCR’s finest hour is ahead of us in 2020. Join me in getting some training in, and start talking up our favorite races. We have not been defeated and there is plenty of time to make 2020 epic!
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