Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Local athletes discuss quarantining in Murfreesboro
5/11/2020 5:00:00 PM | General
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — When the COVID-19 pandemic caused college campuses around the world to close, Middle Tennessee's students had to find a way to get home.
For some, that meant finding plane tickets to fly around the U.S. and the world or packing up cars for cross-country adventures. A few more didn't have to go but a few minutes.
"I really just packed my stuff up and went 10 minutes down the road to my parents' house," rising senior basketball player Donovan Sims, a Blackman High School alum, said. "It's a big thing we're going through right now, and I feel fortunate that I have my family right here and I can just go down the street and have their support and everything."
Sims, whose family lives in Lascassas, a few minutes northeast of Middle Tennessee's campus, is one of 20 Blue Raider student-athletes who called Rutherford County home before going to MT.
His family has lived in the Murfreesboro area his entire life, but quarantining has given them an opportunity to find parts of the budding city they'd never known were there.
"We found some different greenway trails that I didn't even know were here," Sims said. "We've just been going around to different neighborhoods just looking at new houses and new developments around Murfreesboro.
"Me and my family have lived here so long, you would think we would notice these things. With the downtime, we have the time to be with each other and drive around, and you get the chance to see how big it's gotten. … It's cool to have the time to just look around and see new things."
Blue Raider soccer forward Maddison Falter, who went to Sims' rival Riverdale High School, has also utilized some of Murfreesboro's outdoor amenities to help pass the time.
Her family resides on the city's south side close to Barfield Crescent Park, which features hiking trails, sports fields and campsites over 430 acres.
"We really have just been hanging out together as a family," she said. "We take the dog on walks every day … Barfield is really where I work out now. I probably go over there four times a week and run on the trails by the pond."
Having somewhere to run is crucial for Falter's soccer training. For Blue Raider baseball third baseman and pitcher DJ Wright, who lives on Murfreesboro's north side by his alma mater Blackman High School, he's lucky there's a field in his neighborhood, where he and his brother can often be found.
"Usually, we've been outside of the house when we've had some good weather," he said. "We have a field in our neighborhood, so my brother and I will go over there and throw and hit."
The field is a major help for Wright. With gyms closed for weeks, he struggled at times to find the means to work out.
"I'm just excited for the facilities to open back up," he said. "I'm ready to lift actual weights and hit in a cage.
"I think the max weight I have is like an 8-pound dumbbell. I have a yoga mat and do a lot of ab work and bodyweight stuff and run a few miles every week — nothing too much, just trying to keep in shape until gyms and facilities open back up."
Getting back to normal is on just about everyone's mind, and MT's student-athletes are no different.
While the local athletes were blessed to already be home when the pandemic hit, not having their teammates around to interact with has been hard.
"I think I'm really just excited for everything to be back to normal," Falter said. "Murfreesboro is usually a pretty busy place, but right now I can get to the other side of town in about 10 minutes without traffic. That's nice, but I miss it being normal. I miss my teammates."
Hopefully, normal is just around the corner in Murfreesboro.
For some, that meant finding plane tickets to fly around the U.S. and the world or packing up cars for cross-country adventures. A few more didn't have to go but a few minutes.
"I really just packed my stuff up and went 10 minutes down the road to my parents' house," rising senior basketball player Donovan Sims, a Blackman High School alum, said. "It's a big thing we're going through right now, and I feel fortunate that I have my family right here and I can just go down the street and have their support and everything."
Sims, whose family lives in Lascassas, a few minutes northeast of Middle Tennessee's campus, is one of 20 Blue Raider student-athletes who called Rutherford County home before going to MT.
His family has lived in the Murfreesboro area his entire life, but quarantining has given them an opportunity to find parts of the budding city they'd never known were there.
"We found some different greenway trails that I didn't even know were here," Sims said. "We've just been going around to different neighborhoods just looking at new houses and new developments around Murfreesboro.
"Me and my family have lived here so long, you would think we would notice these things. With the downtime, we have the time to be with each other and drive around, and you get the chance to see how big it's gotten. … It's cool to have the time to just look around and see new things."
Blue Raider soccer forward Maddison Falter, who went to Sims' rival Riverdale High School, has also utilized some of Murfreesboro's outdoor amenities to help pass the time.
Her family resides on the city's south side close to Barfield Crescent Park, which features hiking trails, sports fields and campsites over 430 acres.
"We really have just been hanging out together as a family," she said. "We take the dog on walks every day … Barfield is really where I work out now. I probably go over there four times a week and run on the trails by the pond."
Having somewhere to run is crucial for Falter's soccer training. For Blue Raider baseball third baseman and pitcher DJ Wright, who lives on Murfreesboro's north side by his alma mater Blackman High School, he's lucky there's a field in his neighborhood, where he and his brother can often be found.
"Usually, we've been outside of the house when we've had some good weather," he said. "We have a field in our neighborhood, so my brother and I will go over there and throw and hit."
The field is a major help for Wright. With gyms closed for weeks, he struggled at times to find the means to work out.
"I'm just excited for the facilities to open back up," he said. "I'm ready to lift actual weights and hit in a cage.
"I think the max weight I have is like an 8-pound dumbbell. I have a yoga mat and do a lot of ab work and bodyweight stuff and run a few miles every week — nothing too much, just trying to keep in shape until gyms and facilities open back up."
Getting back to normal is on just about everyone's mind, and MT's student-athletes are no different.
While the local athletes were blessed to already be home when the pandemic hit, not having their teammates around to interact with has been hard.
"I think I'm really just excited for everything to be back to normal," Falter said. "Murfreesboro is usually a pretty busy place, but right now I can get to the other side of town in about 10 minutes without traffic. That's nice, but I miss it being normal. I miss my teammates."
Hopefully, normal is just around the corner in Murfreesboro.
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