By Lauren Zedlar
Elm Staff Writer
As all Washington College athletics have returned to practicing on a regular schedule, WC training staff wants to ensure a safe environment in the training room while also following all protocols issued by the Centennial Conference and Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Head WC athletic trainer Matt An works alongside assistant trainers Patrick Evans and Melissa Hango this coming semester to keep athletes healthy and safe.
The training staff is now requiring appointments from students due to new capacity rules that align with the CDC’s social distancing rules.
Appointments will also make things easier for the training staff who will be spread thin with a smaller staff and all athletic teams actively playing.
Appointments can be made through the student health portal. A link to this service can be found on the WC Athletics website in the athletic training page under the athletic informations tab.
Masks will be required at all times while in the Johnson Fitness Center and Cain Gymnasium. The training staff is also thoroughly cleaning and wiping down all equipment after it has been used.
Student-athletes must also have five consecutive days of green badges on the Emocha app to come into the training room; apps will be checked upon arrival according to An.
If student-athletes are missing a badge on the Emocha app, then they will have to sit out of practice, games, and training for up to a week before they can return according to the WC Board of Athletics.
Throughout this past year the training room has been assisting athletes through appointments, but are now ready to have all athletes back on campus.
“Our goal is to make sure that we try to operate as ‘normal’ as possible during the pandemic,” An said. “We want to continue to offer as many appointments as possible and see as many of our athletes that we can to keep them healthy and on the field.”
Student-athletes will have full access to all training room resources needed to heal and strengthen themselves.
If an athlete’s injury is minor, or can be treated by the athlete themselves, trainers are asking that they not make appointments, so there are less people using the training room and more time for more serious injuries to be treated.
Every year WC teams are assigned a specific trainer that takes care of injured team members, but with all sports playing this semester, trainer and team assignments are to be determined still.
If student-athletes have questions or concerns, they can contact Matt An through his email, man2@washcoll.edu .
“Pandemic or not our mission statement doesn’t change,” An said. “Big thanks and shout out goes to Patrick and Melissa for putting in so much hard work to make this happen.”