Team Insight

T his is absolutely, denitely, unequivocally my nal editorial that mentions COVID- 19 and the impact of the pandemic on the world of team sports. Maybe. e unpredictability of COVID has made the lives of our team dealer readers – and our editorial content – equally unpredictable. Dealers never know from day to day – and we never know from issue to issue – just what is going to happen next when it comes to interrupted schedules, disrupted supply chains and sta getting sick. We have all faced these challenges together and each of us has had our own battles with this pandemic — either ourselves, family members, co-workers, friends or customers. Hopefully, just maybe, we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and it's not a pandemic train headed our way. And we all have our own survival stories, many of them which are shared in our Survival Guide story on page 28, the result of excellent reporting by writer Mike May. He had conversations with dozens of team dealers looking to tell their stories about how COVID- 19 impacted them personally and professionally and how they managed to come out on the other end — perhaps bruised and battered (with a loss of taste or smell perhaps), but still here in mid-2022. Personally, I have my own COVID-19 survival story as I navigated these uncharted waters. We lost a family member in the early days of the pandemic and most of my extended family has tested positive at one time or another. ankfully, I have not — the result of extra precaution or plain luck, who knows? I have worked out of a home oce for two decades, so professionally it was interesting to watch so many of my colleagues learn how to work remotely — guring out technology, motivating themselves every morning, dressing halfway up for Zoom calls. But we all learned. My Survival Guide for COVID-19 consisted of that extra caution — no dining inside at restaurants, avoiding crowds and washing my hands and wearing a mask. I sacriced seeing my family and quarantined before and aer any time we did wander from our bubble. It was a hey price to pay, as we all know from our own personal experiences. I have written in past editorials that what has im- pressed me most among the team dealers we write for and speak with frequently is their resilience and ability to adapt. Whether it was in the early days of the pandemic when many switched to selling face masks and other protective gear or more recently as we all take tentative steps to a return to some sort of post-pandemic normalcy, team dealers have proven to be a resilient bunch. No surprise there. So as I write the nal paragraph of my nal editorial mentioning COVID-19 and its impact on the team business, I can only hope I am right this time. Stay safe out there. COVID-19: ONE MORE TIME AND THAT'S IT As I write the final paragraph of my final editorial mentioning COVID-19 and its impact on the team business, I can only hope I am right this time. TEAM TALK / MIKE JACOBSEN 6 • Team Insight ~ May/June 2022 teaminsightmag.com STAHLS.COM | 800.4.STAHLS Personalize like the pros stahls.com/letnum THE GAME STARTS HERE WITH STAHLS' LETTERS & NUMBERS TI0522 • Tough, lightweight, & time-saving options • Available in pre-cut, pre-spaced, simulated stitching, & more STYLES FOR EVERY SPORT Personalize like the pros

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