Photo by: Benjamin Suddendorf
Coping & Connecting: Gymnastics
4/23/2020 11:13:00 AM | Gymnastics
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The focus for Central Michigan gymnastics is on what's ahead, despite all the uncertainty.
Coach Christine MacDonald's Chippewas saw their season end abruptly in March because of the quarantine just as it was reaching its crescendo. CMU's final dual meet of the season, which was scheduled for McGuirk Arena, and the Mid-American Conference Championships were cancelled.
The important thing now, MacDonald said, is to keep her gymnasts informed and on the same page. The first element is a weekly Webex meeting with the student-athletes, the coaching staff and the training staff.
The meetings include an element of fun.
"In the Webex meetings we do our highs of the week and what we're thankful for and that really helps with staying positive and to keep going and not being down about the season getting cut short," said freshman Hannah DeMers, who is home in Canton with her family.
The family aspect is a recurring theme, not just with the gymnasts, but with every CMU team as they all weather an unprecedented storm.
"What I'm thankful for is that my immediate family and friends are healthy," said DeMers, who has two brothers, both of whom are now at the family home along with their parents. "Family is everything to me. My mom and my dad put everything they could into -- years before my collegiate career – to put me where I'm at, to make me successful, to push me and to motivate me. … They not only push me to be a better athlete, but they push me to be a better person and to challenge me."
The once-weekly team-wide meetings are followed up by one-on-one Webex meetings between the coaches and the student-athletes, and the Chippewas have frequent contact with the Athletics Department's Institutional Support Services.
"It's nice to know that if you need something or you need help that they're always there," said sophomore Sierra DeMarinias, who added that one of the highlights of the weekly team Webex meetings is a challenge. "We had a handstand challenge. You had to put a t-shirt on while in a handstand – fun stuff like that."
The gymnasts are provided weekly voluntary workout plans by CMU's strength & conditioning staff.
"Everything's very limited with what they can do at home and what they have available to them," MacDonald said. "Under those constraints the workouts have had to get very creative.
"I think overall they have remained very resilient. It's one of the things that we've talked about all year long with this group: They are a resilient group and they've been able to fight through and show their character in the hard times and that's something that I believe they are continuing to do. They're very upbeat. We really haven't missed a beat as far as our energy and our connections. Something I'm very proud of is their constant ability to stay united and together."
DeMarinias, who is home with her family in Massachusetts, said the key now is to do all that can be done in terms of conditioning.
"I think at this point in our careers, we have done this for so many years that as long as we keep our physical conditioning up, the rest comes back pretty easily when you go back into the gym," said DeMarinias, who added that her daily routine includes a run or a walk with her family's dogs along with yoga and stretching. "I'm not saying that you can go back to doing full routines in one day, but if you use the conditioning plans and stay active then when you go back to the gym we have plenty of muscle memory to be able to do what we need to do."
Coach Christine MacDonald's Chippewas saw their season end abruptly in March because of the quarantine just as it was reaching its crescendo. CMU's final dual meet of the season, which was scheduled for McGuirk Arena, and the Mid-American Conference Championships were cancelled.
The important thing now, MacDonald said, is to keep her gymnasts informed and on the same page. The first element is a weekly Webex meeting with the student-athletes, the coaching staff and the training staff.
The meetings include an element of fun.
"In the Webex meetings we do our highs of the week and what we're thankful for and that really helps with staying positive and to keep going and not being down about the season getting cut short," said freshman Hannah DeMers, who is home in Canton with her family.
The family aspect is a recurring theme, not just with the gymnasts, but with every CMU team as they all weather an unprecedented storm.
"What I'm thankful for is that my immediate family and friends are healthy," said DeMers, who has two brothers, both of whom are now at the family home along with their parents. "Family is everything to me. My mom and my dad put everything they could into -- years before my collegiate career – to put me where I'm at, to make me successful, to push me and to motivate me. … They not only push me to be a better athlete, but they push me to be a better person and to challenge me."
The once-weekly team-wide meetings are followed up by one-on-one Webex meetings between the coaches and the student-athletes, and the Chippewas have frequent contact with the Athletics Department's Institutional Support Services.
"It's nice to know that if you need something or you need help that they're always there," said sophomore Sierra DeMarinias, who added that one of the highlights of the weekly team Webex meetings is a challenge. "We had a handstand challenge. You had to put a t-shirt on while in a handstand – fun stuff like that."
The gymnasts are provided weekly voluntary workout plans by CMU's strength & conditioning staff.
"Everything's very limited with what they can do at home and what they have available to them," MacDonald said. "Under those constraints the workouts have had to get very creative.
"I think overall they have remained very resilient. It's one of the things that we've talked about all year long with this group: They are a resilient group and they've been able to fight through and show their character in the hard times and that's something that I believe they are continuing to do. They're very upbeat. We really haven't missed a beat as far as our energy and our connections. Something I'm very proud of is their constant ability to stay united and together."
DeMarinias, who is home with her family in Massachusetts, said the key now is to do all that can be done in terms of conditioning.
"I think at this point in our careers, we have done this for so many years that as long as we keep our physical conditioning up, the rest comes back pretty easily when you go back into the gym," said DeMarinias, who added that her daily routine includes a run or a walk with her family's dogs along with yoga and stretching. "I'm not saying that you can go back to doing full routines in one day, but if you use the conditioning plans and stay active then when you go back to the gym we have plenty of muscle memory to be able to do what we need to do."
Players Mentioned
/ Gymnastics
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