This fall, the Student Athlete Advisory Council created a great opportunity for student-athletes, and coaches to listen in on panel discussions led by student athletes, fellow coaches, college staff and faculty members.  The series of panels was titled "Athlete Matters' and, during the fall semester, there were three sessions covering various topics that were informative and pertinent to the current situation in athletics.  Nearly 200 participated in the three panels.  A fourth panel on Social Justice was postponed and will be held during the spring semester.
 
The opening panel topic was "Nutrition for Performance" and was moderated by junior swimmer Erin Clune.  She was joined by faculty member, Dr. Bill Proulx, senior soccer player Ali Matthews, who is on the E-Board of the Nutrition for Performance Club and former Associate cross country and track & field coach Rich Marcello.
 
Topics discussed during the opening panel included the importance of hydration, a balanced diet, and the do's and don'ts of supplementing.
 
Senior baseball player and SAAC President Michael Losak led the second panel that covered mental health topics.  Losak was joined by Health and Wellness Counselor Dr. Andrew Vincent and swimming & diving coach Chris Schuler.
 
The Mental Health panel spoke about available resources for student-athletes if they are struggling, and how poor mental wellness can impact one's performance on the field. Mental health should be one of our top priorities as student-athletes, and a lot of key points were shared.
 
The final panel discussion was led by senior lacrosse player Christen Patalano and included senior field hockey player Emily Lutz, women's lacrosse coach Brandi Lusk, and Assistant Professor of Exercise Science Dr. Katherine Griffes.
 
The panel spoke about ways to stay motivated during the pandemic when it came to staying fit.  Methods were shared on home fitness activities that you can do on your own without much need for instruction.  Whether it was the importance of rest days, knowing the difference between cardio and strength training, and finding people to keep you accountable. After a long spring of quarantine, cancelled seasons, and gyms closing, Christen and Emily spoke about finding other ways to stay motivated and fit, in other words, finding a new "why" for ourselves.