For Babson College students and faculty, Monday marked the start of the transition to the online classroom due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
As the College has spent countless hours preparing students for this new experience, members of the Babson Athletics strength and conditioning and training staff have performed similar work, creating remote exercise programming for student-athletes, continuing injury rehabilitation plans, and establishing a virtual recreation home for students, staff, and faculty.
Keeping Student-Athletes Connected
When most colleges and universities made the decision to shift classes online, the NCAA canceled winter and spring sports seasons.
“These are interesting times for everyone, but as an athlete this challenges their individual sense of who they are as person,” said Rick Burr P’21 ’23, director of athletics performance. “This is an ongoing process and the only constant is that it is fluid.”
Shortly after that announcement was made, members of Babson’s strength and conditioning and athletic training staffs jumped in.
They have been in frequent communication with student-athletes and coaches, developing programs using equipment readily available to athletes. Athletic trainers also have remained in close contact to manage student-athlete injury rehabilitations.
Using a program similar to Webex, student-athletes will soon be able to set up virtual appointments with Babson athletic trainers.
“This gives each athlete the one-on-one feeling that they are used to,” Burr said.
Mental health and well-being during this taxing time also continues to be at top of mind.
“Our position as athletic trainers is multifaceted. We work with the body, mind, and spirit of the athletes,” Burr said. “I would be remiss not to mention our role in helping them cope with the many areas of their life.”
Improving Wellness With WELLBEATS
Though the Coronavirus outbreak forced the closure of the Babson Recreation and Athletics Complex, Babson College is now offering hundreds of online fitness classes to students, faculty, and staff via WELLBEATS.
Through the virtual fitness center, members of the Babson community can participate in cycling, shadow boxing, and yoga exercises, to name a few. The website also offers nutrition tips, and starting this week, Babson RecFit introduced weekly wellness challenges for prizes.
“We realized once recreation centers began closing that providing fitness programming was going to be important but also challenging,” recreation director Trey Duval said. “WELLBEATS’ extensive portfolio of classes and ease of use makes it a perfect solution.”
Posted in Adapting, Together, Campus & Community
