Written by Lauren Roth
Roanoke College Athletics has had to modify many long-standing traditions in 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Sports from all seasons have been impacted by both school and conference regulations in various ways, whether it was from seasons being postponed, canceled, or simply unknown, athletes all over campus have been struggling to identify what this means for them.
Over the last few weeks, a glimmer of hope has shown. Teams are allowed to practice once again, there is talk about seasons occurring again in 2021, and athletes are valuing every moment they can to improve on their game. However, another tradition that Roanoke College Athletics has been unsure of occurring this year is its annual Haunted Hallway. This event in the past has been a positive impact on the Roanoke Valley community and Roanoke College Athletics is proud to play an integral role in this event.
Before 2020, for the last four years, Roanoke College Athletics has sponsored a trick-or-treat event in the locker room hall of the Cregger Center. Each team decorates their locker room door, and sometimes even their locker room, in the best Halloween decor Dollar Tree can find. All athletes participate by dressing up in their finest Halloween costumes, helping decorate the doors and picking out the spookiest Halloween tunes to play down the hall. It has always been two hours of fun and an engaging time with the community.
Members from all over Salem bring their children to trick-or-treat down the hall. Athletes and coaches get to enjoy seeing all the amazing costumes and hand out candy. The best part of it all is that admission to this event is one item of canned food. All proceeds are collected from the community and donated to Feeding America Southwest Virginia. This event brings not just Roanoke and the Salem community together, but also our community with the rest of Southwest Virginia.
Despite the inability to hold this event in 2020, Roanoke Athletics is looking forward to holding this event in the future. Halloween this year will be different, but that doesn’t mean we still can’t connect safely and give back to our surrounding communities like Roanoke Athletics has done for Halloween for the last four years.
