By Lily Collins, staff writer.

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic preventing intercollegiate competition this fall, the Department of Athletics had to get creative in creating a competitive experience for student-athletes. The result was a weekly competition called the Ravens Cup, which ran throughout the semester.

The Director of Athletics, Rachel Burleson, assembled a task force of nine staff members, which came to be known as the FUN Committee. The group consisted of Burleson, Eilish Devine, Matt Janik, Marissa Shaw, Marykate Cullinane, Stephanie Dragan, Shaun Millerick, Jonathan Garbar, and Doug Carty, as well as student-athlete representatives Connor Everidge and MacKenzie Potvin.

The committee had two goals: To create an environment that encouraged competitive spirit, and to give student-athletes and coaches the ability to interact with others beyond their own team. Both of these goals served to enhance team spirit, rivalry, and camaraderie amongst all varsity sports, which, according to Eilish Devine, “has been the greatest achievement.”

With their goals in mind, the FUN Committee created the Ravens Cup: a series of competitive games, similar to field day in elementary school, involving all varsity sports teams, which were divided into two teams: Grey and Crimson. Each week, one team had the ability to “host” a competition and choose which activity took place. Examples of events held throughout the semester included a home run derby, kayak races, kickball and trivia nights.

“I think the Ravens Cup has brought all of the different teams together in a safe and responsible way through COVID-19,” said Claire Stewart, a freshman on the field hockey team. “It has given athletes a nice opportunity once a week to relax and participate in fun games.”

Those who aren’t competing had a chance to earn points for their respective team by attending the competitions, checking in through the Raven Nation app and cheering on their teammates.

“We always try to have new people participate each week, but my team always goes to support one another,” said Stewart.

Since Stewart is a freshman, COVID-19 has provided challenges when it comes to settling into a social life on campus. The Ravens Cup served as an additional experience for athletes to meet other students, apart from just their own teammates.  

“As a freshman, I have found it somewhat hard to make new friends due to COVID-19, but the Ravens Cup has definitely created opportunities to meet new people,” said Stewart. 

Other sports teams have also supported the creation of the Ravens Cup. Nicole Amato, a senior on the women’s ice hockey team, has attested to the success of the committee.

“With no competition this semester, and the restrictions on scrimmages for most of the semester, it has brought out the competitive nature of each athlete that has competed,” said Amato. “It has brought us closer as athletes, allowing us to interact and compete against individuals we normally don’t see on a day-to-day basis.”

Amato also enjoys the aspect of being able to cheer on their teammates, no matter which sports team they’re on.

“Being able to cheer on my team as well as others from different sport teams was a lot of fun,” Amato said. “It helped my team gain a closer relationship with more time spent together and more time spent cheering for each other and other sports teams.”

For the women’s ice hockey team, “the most beneficial thing that has come from the Ravens Cup is the ability to compete against other sports teams in a variety of events,” said Amato. “You don’t often get the opportunity to compete against friends and classmates from other sports teams, so when you do, it is a lot of fun.”

The women’s volleyball team was intrigued when they first heard about the creation of the Ravens Cup. According to Tessa Brandt, a sophomore, the team “wanted to know what every event was before they announced it.”

Brandt also emphasized how much the Ravens Cup has brought student-athletes together.

“We were able to be in a competitive atmosphere with one another and support each other,” said Brandt. “This is beneficial for everyone since we all had our seasons cancelled and we’re all experiencing the same emotions.”

The Ravens Cup events have been beneficial for the women’s volleyball team, according to Brandt.

“The entire volleyball team has gained a support system through the Ravens Cup,” said Brandt. “We can now understand that we are not alone, and every other student-athlete is going through the same thing we are. We know that we always have each other’s backs no matter what.”

The Committee designed the Ravens Cup to allow for social distancing by limiting the number of athletes playing at one time. They’ve also hosted all competitions outside to ensure there isn’t limited space. Each activity was designed to correspond Franklin Pierce’s “Return to Play” policies in mind, which meant social distancing and masking at all events.

Throughout fall semester, there were a total of 11 Ravens Cup events. The competitions continued to showcase the strong sense of community that thrives at Franklin Pierce University.