Monmouth's Fall Seasons Close, Training Room Staff Met Challenges
Monmouth, IL (12/10/2020) — There's no arguing the fall sports season brought many challenges to coaches, student-athletes and staff, but Monmouth College head trainer Bob Foster gives the Fighting Scots high marks meeting those challenges.
"The student-athletes did a great job getting into a routine of getting their temperatures taken on days they practiced," said a pleased Foster. "Some needed friendly reminders, but they all did their part to make it a successful process."
Foster, assistant trainer Cali Elliott and equipment manager Neil Mecagni teamed up to run the daily temperature checks while also maintaining the usual training and equipment room duties. The only glitch, according to Foster?
"I won't name names, but there were more than a few who would stop for a temperature check on days they didn't practice out of sheer habit," he laughed. "Their reactions were always entertaining."
Like everyone else, Foster's crew also had to meet new challenges. Due to social distancing guidelines, not all team members could be present at each practice session, creating more practices and more demands on the staff with a nearly steady flow of student-athletes needing a temperature check.
"The coaches stepped up and helped us out," reported Foster. "There was a lot of give-and-take."
While the traffic flow increased, actual injuries decreased. Foster reports there were still injuries, but not of a severe nature due to the lack of physical contact at practice.
"We definitely saw less injury and treatment needs due to altered practices," he said. "We still had some injuries to deal with, but a lot less than we're used to. The most common injury was probably strained muscles which just required ice treatment."
The entire campus has been in a learning curve since the spring with COVID restrictions and the Fighting Scots athletic department is no different. Monmouth's training room has taken it in stride.
"I think a semester of learning what situations arise and how to best deal with those situations for the safety of our athletes is invaluable," said Foster. "The ultimate goal is the safety of our students and we'll continue to make that the priority."
Just what the future may hold isn't exactly carved in stone, but Foster says the experience of the fall will help them prepare for what lies ahead.
"I'm sure there will be changes to our current plan going forward, but those changes are dependent on what occurs in the coming months," he said. "We'll see what the next semester brings in terms of temperature checks, but a lot depends on what occurs with a vaccine and other advancements in dealing with the virus. We'll keep all options on the table going into the winter and spring, and we'll be ready for different scenarios regardless of the situation."
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