Remote Students Participate from Afar

By Georgi Venci

Sep. 14 marked the beginning of all athletics for the hybrid fall term. This included physical education, club sports, in-season sports and the debut of training for off-season sports. Uppers and seniors who have returned to campus have started in-person training, while preps and lowers will soon join them in early October. In the meantime, remote students have been participating in a combination of online workouts and Zoom meetings with their teams. These remote students, even those participating in a team, are registered for the newly-created Fitness and Wellness course.

Given the circumstances, the new system has had to take on a very different approach than past years. Instructors in physical education have had to change their program to accommodate online learning for students who are learning remotely. Every student enrolled in a physical education (PE) course is connected with an instructor from the athletics department through Canvas, where instructors can post workouts, diet pointers and other information that an athlete would normally receive from a coach. Athletes can also report and submit what workouts they have done, as well as post any questions or comments for the coach. The PE instructors have also created an extensive library with pre-recorded workouts for students to follow along at their own pace. Live workouts have also been taking place over Zoom to encourage students to maintain their workout regimen and stay connected with instructors.

Some classes have been using an app called STRAVA, an internet service used to track exercises while also incorporating social network features. This allows athletes to track and report any recent activities and workouts throughout the week. Students are held to an honesty code when asked about their respective workouts and exercise at the end of each week. “Zoom and Canvas hands a lot of responsibility to our athletes and students,” coach Avery Reavill said.

Remote training comes with some unexpected upsides, however, one of which is personal growth for the remote participants. “With so much responsibility comes independence, which I think is a valuable experience,” Reavill said.

Another positive is the flexibility that comes with using Canvas workouts. Upper Lindsay Machado, involved with off-season Cross Country, Girls’ Swimming, and Girls’ Water Polo teams noted that “the advantage of a Canvas workout is that your schedule becomes much more flexible. I can create a day that works for me and my classes.”

Interscholastic teams have been using a similar system. In-season and off-season sports have been meeting in-person and over Zoom, conducting training sessions and engaging in various workouts. Each sport has a Canvas page, which functions in a similar way as the PE courses. Coaches and teammates are able to stay connected for training and other team building events, despite the offset of having teammates who are learning remotely. 

Some students spoke to the difficulties of completing online workouts. “I haven’t been setting aside as much time for workouts as I would on campus,” lower Caleb Yu said. 

Fortunately, the captains of interscholastic teams have been working to keep the team connected and motivated. Lower Henry Liu, involved with in-season Boys’ Water Polo, said that “staying in touch with captains and teammates has made being off-campus and off-campus workouts a lot easier.” 

Yu expressed similar gratitude. “It feels really nice to know that everyone’s in the same boat and supportive of each other.”

In the spirit of equity, most workouts posted by the Athletic Department include modifications for if a student cannot access certain equipment. “We do our best to provide workouts free from open space and equipment requirements,” Reavill said.

“The department really has made the best system for athletics given the circumstances,” Liu said.

Machado expressed a similar appreciation for the effort her captains and coaches have put into creating an inclusive team environment. “Coaches, captains, and athletes are all doing the best they can. I appreciate that they’re thinking of those of us away from campus.”