Press Herald reports on student-athlete safety protocols
The Portland Press Herald reported that University of Maine student-athletes are testing safety protocols implemented due to the coronavirus pandemic. Athletes have participated in voluntary workouts facilitated by strength and conditioning staff and training staff at Mahaney Diamond since June 18. According to the article, UMaine is the first college in the state to facilitate workout sessions for student-athletes. “We knew things would be significantly different (from the past), that there would be changes. But until you run it, there are going to be things you’re going to miss,” said Jonathan Lynch, director of sports performance. “We felt we needed to do this with a low number of athletes with very little risk of exposing them to the virus. And I think we’ve been very successful.” Workouts have been limited to athletes who stayed within a 30-mile radius of campus in the last 14 days, according to the report. They complete a wellness survey and have their temperatures checked before they can participate, and they keep 15 feet apart and wear a mask on campus when not training. “This is our initial work to get our protocols down,” said athletic director Ken Ralph. “We want to get it down correctly before moving onto bigger groups and moving into indoor facilities.”