From the Director of Athletics

It is not about the wins and losses.

All of us, while driven by competition and the desire to prevail, know this fact. And by "us" I refer to every member of the Department of Athletics who has risen to the challenge of our current situation. I am so pleased with how our teacher-coaches quickly pivoted to non-traditional methods, from March through August, by remaining engaged with our student-athletes. And I am buoyed by our support staff, including our athletics administrators, strength and conditioning personnel, athletic trainers, and assistant coaches who coalesced around our head coaches from day one of our return to campus late in August, all striving to provide the best experience—regardless of the current environment—to our student-athletes.

While competition is at the heart of intercollegiate athletics—and the rich history and strong traditions of Springfield College Athletics demand such—it remains a fact that it is not about the wins and losses. The global pandemic has made this abundantly clear. I am grateful that, at the time of this writing, the community of Springfield College has done all it can to keep our students safe and on campus, allowing our student-athletes the opportunity to practice and train with their teammates, their coaching staff, our strength and conditioning coaches, all under the watchful eye of our athletics trainers. Additionally, I am inspired by our student-athletes who have adapted well to new practice protocols and have been able to engage (remotely, in large part) with the outstanding support services offered by both our athletic counseling and sport psychology professionals and graduate students.

In addition to the continual support offered to our student-athletes by members of the coaching staff, the athletics program has been very active since March. We were fortunate to (finally) be selected for an NCAA Ethnic Minority and Women's Internship Grant and have successfully onboarded Adaeze (Daisy) Alaeze-Dinma. She has already contributed much to the team in her role as the coordinator of student-athlete leadership development and communications assistant. 

We were able to complete the installation of remote filming in Blake Arena, a nice upgrade supported by our generous donors. Despite the installation being temporarily halted due to COVID-19, this Playsight technology will allow our coaches to teach in real time via an iPad on the floor. In addition, the new platform will greatly enhance our video streaming capability. Repainted track and field lines in the fieldhouse have brightened the facility, but that upgrade pales in comparison to the nearly completed renovation of the Diane L. Potter softball field through our partnership with the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. And, on Sept. 14, we had a full field (under Massachusetts guidelines) at two golf courses and participants enjoyed the beautiful day during our modified, yet successful, 31st annual golf tournament.

Suffice to say, while starved for competition, we are taking steps to be ready when the time comes. Perspective and patience have provided much evidence that it is not about the wins and losses. We deeply appreciate, perhaps now more than ever, your ongoing support of the more than 650 student-athletes who currently wear THE jersey.