Overcoming Technology Challenges

The first main challenge I faced might seem like a silly one, yet it was significant at the time: I couldn’t remember or find my Instagram password. I’m sure it’s in some old notebook in my work or home office, but despite an extensive search, I could not locate it. So I started a new Instagram account, which made me feel like a Luddite from a bygone era who’d never even seen a computer, much less a so-called smartphone. 

Fortunately, I had my tech-savvy student workers to help me. They were an early bright spot in this whole topsy-turvy process. As soon as I reached out, they were all in. A couple said that this was exactly what they needed to provide a sense of purpose now that they weren’t able to play their sport. The duties I assigned them also gave a welcome diversion or outlet from their studies, which were now online too. 

With their assistance, I came up with a unique way to get players in all sports to get and stay involved. In some of the early sessions, I demonstrated the exercises of the day, but from then on, my athletes were the ones doing it. There wasn’t one who I contacted that was unable or unwilling to step up and contribute. Sure, a few shared my struggles with the technology, but soon found a sibling or parent willing to pitch in and help them figure it out. Thanks to their generous contribution, I’ve been able to post a daily workout for all the teams I’m responsible for.

Recreating the Weightroom

Another fun thing I started doing a few weeks ago was Zoom workouts with my son and daughter and their friends. When I told some of my student-athletes, they wanted to get in on the action to supplement their other sessions. So we’d all hop on a video conference call and I’d both lead and participate. This has helped me keep my own fitness level up and has challenged me to come up with creative ways to utilize simple equipment until we’re able to get back to our usual weight room setup. 

One of the biggest head-scratchers in the early stage of the coronavirus lockdown was how to develop power, particularly for football, basketball, and volleyball players whose sports demand it. Usually I’m a big fan of the snatch and clean and jerk and, failing that, kettlebell swings. While I was able to secure a discount on the latter from the kind folks at Perform Better, a lot of my athletes still lack access to even the most basic equipment options. So I turned to jumping, which is still one of the best methods for improving lower and total body power.

Find Comfort in Your Community

Over the past few challenging months, I’ve come to recognize how crucial it is to be in a community, even if that’s only in a virtual sense right now. I’m a member of the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCA) and we regularly hold a women’s breakfast. Being able to share my struggles and hear how my fellow female professionals are overcoming similar difficulties gave me a big boost and helped me realize that I’m not alone because we’re all in this together. 

It’s also been great to invite my athletes to open Zoom sessions in which they can vent, ask me questions, and keep the lines of communication open. I like seeing them use the #mnustrength hashtag on Instagram when posting their workout results, and hearing about how some have been doing their sessions in small groups via Zoom or FaceTime or TrainHeroic. We might not be together in person, but we are still united in spirit.