Introduction
The economy and job market were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with matters only worsening as over 57 million people in the United States filed for unemployment benefits within just five months up to August 22, 2020.
The Pandemic’s Impact on Kristi Kowal
Kristi Kowal is a silver Olympic medalist and former world record holder, as well as a long-time elementary school teacher. Kowal turned her passion for sports and education into traveling across the country to coach novice swimmers, conduct workshops and clinics, and deliver motivational speeches. Like many others, the 41-year-old Kowal, who resides in Long Beach, California, saw her job opportunities and income affected once the COVID-19 outbreak began. Kowal spoke to The Balance in July, sharing her experience, including the challenges she faced in obtaining financial assistance and redirecting her career. This article has been edited for clarity.
Kowal’s Life Before COVID-19
I spent 14 years as an elementary school teacher in Reading, Pennsylvania, before deciding to change direction and move to California to start somewhat of a swim consulting business. I combined my teaching experience and love for working with kids with my passion for swimming to create a job where I travel around the country giving workshops and motivational speeches.
Challenges of Reconstructing Work
I conducted some online swim workshops where I put together presentations, images, and videos at the last minute, but it was really a complete shift trying to adapt to this new world. I also offered 10 weeks of free webinars for parents to teach them how to support athletes during these times, and when they return and compete again. So I had the opportunity to bring in Olympic teammates and Olympic parents to provide support.
Loans and Financial Assistance
Kowal had only been living in California for a year and a half when everything shut down due to the pandemic. She knew her status as a self-employed individual would be a bit different. She couldn’t apply for regular unemployment benefits. So, she waited to apply for pandemic-related unemployment assistance and submitted her application three times, only to be denied each time. She was told to apply in Pennsylvania, where she hadn’t lived for a year and a half, and Pennsylvania also denied her. So, she was rejected three times in two states. She reached a point where she panicked about what would happen. Would she spend all her life savings trying to pay bills and rent during this never-ending pandemic?
Coping with the Pandemic
There have been significant life shifts due to the pandemic. At first, it was like a two-week lockdown, then three weeks, and four weeks. When I began to realize this would be a long-term situation, I started thinking about the opportunities available to me to continue doing the work I do. Through the CG Sports network and Swimming World magazine, we were able to organize weekly webinars. My webinars were more geared toward teaching parents. So, I used my background in child development, hosting parent conferences, and my knowledge of sports to organize that weekly webinar with Olympians and Olympic parents on how to support athletes.
Learning and Growing
I believe one of the things I took for granted was the ability to jump into a swimming pool. Frankly, I don’t think I truly appreciated how luxurious and special that is, but I think one of the best traits of an athlete and teacher is adaptability. You cannot compete at the highest level without being adaptable, nor can you teach a class of 30 eight-year-olds for 14 years without understanding that flexibility plays a role in daily life.
Hopes
The Future
My hopes for the future are similar to the hopes of many people, to have a vaccine as soon as possible, and to be able to return to some of what we were before the pandemic. But I believe that the thing this situation has imposed on us is to slow things down and reorder priorities. Therefore, I think it has challenged us in many ways to find that when we emerge from this pandemic and when it is safe to return to the work we were doing, we want to be better than we were when this crisis began. So, I tried to seize opportunities for growth and learning, and I even took courses in positive psychology through Coursera. I tried to continue developing and gaining knowledge in different areas, and to become better so that when we return to work, I will not be the same person I was before.
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