Apr 6, 2020Pennsylvania coaches, trainers pivot to optional online classes
Across the state of Pennsylvania, high school coaches and administrators continue to impact the lives of student-athletes — only now they are doing it from within the ether.
With the coronavirus outbreak shuttering schools and putting an indefinite hold on spring athletics, coaches from The Keystone State have turned to web-based technology services like Zoom to stay connected with players in a virtual space, according to a story published on PAPrepLive.com.
The piece puts a spotlight on Bishop Shanahan High School, where girls lacrosse head coach Kacy Small developed the two-week online training program aptly named the Quarantine Challenge. Subscribers have access to drills and workouts that are focused on injury prevention, specifically catered to lacrosse. New workouts are posted every four days and, according to Small in the story, hundreds of athletes from across the country have participated.
“This is something we started due to the current situation,” Small said to PAPrepLive.com. “We are only five days into the challenge and we are seeing major improvement in boys and girls athletes across the U.S.
A little further north, at Unionville High School, coaches also hold voluntary Zoom workouts with students but are addressing issues that go beyond staying physically fit.
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“Now that we are in week three and we don’t know how many more weeks are left, some of our athletes are uncomfortable going to physical therapy or the clinics are closed,” Unionville athletic trainer Joe Vogler said. “So we have daily office hours on Zoom and athletes can also schedule an appointment. One of us is available and we can give them either a home exercise program or just kind of check in on their progress.”
At Kennett High School, girls lacrosse head coach Lisa Daugherty has been challenging her team to daily workouts — ranging from 5K runs to wall-ball drills, and high-intensity interval training.
To learn more about what other coaches, trainers and administrators are doing to stay connected with student-athletes, ready the full story here.
