COVID-19 has not only suspended all sports, but it is also prohibiting athletes from training at their local gyms or community centers. However, Lancer athletes from California Baptist University are finding creative ways to get in a workout in preparation for their particular sport in the upcoming season.
Men’s basketball player Russell Barlow, redshirt sophomore business administration major and power forward, said he is training outside of school and preparing for the next basketball season during this unprecedented time. Through his training, Barlow said his mindset is to try and stay conditioned throughout this whole time.
Barlow said he trains in a small space in his garage at his house and on the track at Granbury High School, located in his hometown of Granbury, Texas.
“Right now, the main thing is just trying to stay conditioned. I try to do about 200 pushups and squats a day and run a mile every week,” Barlow said.
Another athlete who has been pushing through to get a workout in is CBU volleyball’s Cassidy Dennison, junior business administration major. While every training facility is shut down for the time being, her family has been fortunate enough to buy her the equipment she needed and works out with her every weekday.
Individually, Dennison said she has been training every weekday by doing the training program planned by her fitness coach, Michael Robinson. Robinson assigned the entire CBU volleyball team workouts to work through during the week. Outside of the program training, Dennison said she goes on runs with her twin sister and, on the weekends, she does a light recovery run along with some stretching and flexibility work.
“The hard part is the accountability aspect, but having an athletically fit family keeps me on top of my work,” Dennison said. “Overall, training has opened my eyes to what I can accomplish as an individual, and I have seen how much drive and passion can genuinely come along when you have a set goal and you want to achieve it.”
Though Lancer athletes are no longer on campus, many are finding ways to train and stay fit either at home or outside in their communities. It takes some extra motivation and accountability with others to get creative and prepare for upcoming athletic seasons, even despite COVID-19 disrupting regular routines.
