Athletes are pushed and overworked to the point where they are struggling to juggle everything that is going on. With schoolwork, practices, clubs and other extracurricular activities, it is hard for them to be able to keep up with everything. The weight room provides support for the student-athletes and benefits them tremendously when it comes to balancing everything. Every team has weightlifting hours that are set by the coaches; however, they may not align with everyone’s class schedule.
Both Strength and Conditioning Coach Matthew Hyde and Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Cassandra “KC” Garza are both extremely lenient when it comes to the sessions. If an athlete cannot make it one day, the coaches will talk with that athlete to make sure they find a time that works for everyone’s schedules and make up for the missed time. They are both extremely beneficial to the UMass Boston athletic staff, and without them, things would be quite overwhelming for the athletes.
The Dan Rea Boston State College Varsity Training Room has been newly renovated as a home for the athletics department’s strength and conditioning program. It is available all year with many new weights and cardio equipment to help athletes from all sports reach their full potential. For each sport, a specific developmental training program is put together by Coach Hyde and Assistant Coach Garza that helps the athletes of various sports develop consistently. Elena Albano, Christina LaFauci and Gracie Granger, all of whom are Division III athletes for UMass Boston’s teams, spoke on their experiences with Beacons Athletics.
Albano is a member of the women’s tennis team here at UMass Boston and is currently in her junior year. In regards to how she benefits from these facilities, Albano said, “It gives our team a space to train and recover with modern machines and equipment, helping us to stay strong and healthy.” This is ideal because not only is Albano in the starting lineup on the tennis team, but is also a part of the Student Arts and Events Council and is a head representative there. She says that she stays terribly busy with everything going on, but lifting is something that she strongly looks forward to every week and is glad that it is flexible within her schedule. LaFauci, who is on the women’s soccer team, brings a great perspective as a first-year student, and thinks these facilities benefit her on and off the field. “It keeps my muscles engaged throughout the season, and because soccer is such a lower-body sport, we focus on the upper body so as not to overwork our muscles.”
Hyde and Garza have both been able to produce great routines for each and every player, all of which mesh well with their respective sport. LaFauci also said, “When we aren’t working out, we are doing recovery, and this allows me and my teammates to stretch and massage our muscles.” This was added to all the athletes’ curriculums, especially after competitions, because it benefits them more. Granger expressed, “It gives me a place to push myself and my teammates in a positive environment.” This is an important feature of the facilities because if it is not enjoyable, the athletes will not get the best out of the workouts.
With a curriculum that is set specifically for the students, whether they have an injury or scheduling issues, the staff in the varsity training room are there to help athletes out. With a total of five Little East Conference championships between these three teams, it seems very clear that their hard work in the weight room is paying off.