After a successful summer pilot program, Menlo Athletics launched a more expansive conditioning program devised to keep the teams in shape, prevent injuries, and provide an outlet for students to work with their teammates side by side, 6 feet apart and with strict safety protocols. 

When schools shuttered their doors in response to the pandemic, prep sports came to a grinding halt in the last few weeks of the winter playoffs in March. Days later, they were working out in home gyms, going for more runs, tackling body-weight exercises. Fast forward to September. 

After months of planning and careful coordination between coaches and Menlo’s administration and COVID response team, the Athletics Department rolled out an outdoor program for all teams, which are set to play in two seasons: winter and spring.

 “We learned that we could follow the county guidelines and that we could hold on-campus workouts safely,” Director of Athletics Earl Koberlein said. “We honed the check-in procedures and know we can do them safely and efficiently.”

Coaches and students are tested every 14 days, trainers and coaches take students’ temperatures and make sure they adhere to specific rules: entering and leaving through designated areas, moving through proper traffic flow, and followed a strict set of guidelines established in consultation with county health departments and medical professionals.

Typically, Director of Sports Performance Jesse Lindenstein and Performance Coach Samantha Leeper lead the sessions with the help of the team coaches. They hold virtual sessions for water polo teams, who also work out in the pool while tennis practices on the courts with players only picking up only their tennis balls. Golf and cross country athletes work out on their own and occasionally with teammates and coaches.  

Elliot Kinder, a senior who plays football and lacrosse, said the workouts were a boost from the start. “The fall-winter workouts and summer workouts helped me stay active, which always makes me feel better,” he said. “They are also a chance to safely be with my teammates and have a good time, which I definitely look forward to.”