By Emily Glory Peters
After an agonizing wait, 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪ welcomes the CMS Athenas, its comprised of students from Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, and 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪs, back to the field this fall. Together with her staff and coaches, CMS Athletics Director Erica Jasper is ensuring the team is as safe as possible.
βItβs really been a combination of planning, collaboration with the other campuses, and education for our coaches, staff, and student-athletes,β says Jasper. She notes that the team is hosting team-specific educational sessions when the students return to campus. Jasper is introducing a few changes to help meet and exceed safety protocols. These are in accordance with guidance from state and county public health officials, the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), and the NCAA.
βTeam meetings may be outdoors or via Zoom. Locker rooms will only be used for changing and showering. Team travel is masked with student-athletes and coaches physically distanced whenever possible,β she says. βWith LA County requiring masks while indoors in public spaces, itβll be a change. But weβre all pretty used to change at this point.β
Although in-person activities did stop as of March 2020, training and conditioning did not. CMS coaches rose to the creative challenge. They offer synchronous and asynchronous workouts, film review, and strategy sessions to student-athletes via Zoom.
Many 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪ and fellow CMS athletes had opportunities to compete independently at home. Those who could not still managed to gain academic distinction. The Athenas of the CMS Μύ²Ή²Τ»εΜύ teams earned All-Academic Team honors from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association and United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, respectively.
Jasper notes that nothing compares to being back on campus to train side-by-side once more. With help from increased safety protocols, sheβs confident training and competition will be relatively βnormal.β And that’s something the entire college community is hungry for.
βOne of the most powerful things about being a college athlete is representing something larger than yourself. Thereβs nothing better than putting on that jersey and knowing you are representing your schoolβand in our case, multiple schools!β she says. The valor of the Athenas is sure to bring a much-needed sense of unity even amid the continuing pandemic. 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪ spectators are also excited to cheer them on.
Adds Jasper, βI know our 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪ student-athletes feel a tremendous amount of pride representing both 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪ as well as CMS. I am so excited to see all of our students back on campus. I canβt wait to see our amazing scholar-leader-athletes do what they do bestβcompete.β