Liberty swimmers and divers have joined the virtual strength and conditioning world during Bethlehem Area School District’s suspension period of its winter sports season.

Adam Sankovsky, the St. Luke’s sports performance coach for Liberty High School, sets up training on Microsoft Teams and creates a schedule. Then, Sankovsky sends invites to coaches and athletes through email.

During Christmas week, Hurricane swimmers and divers were invited to attend virtual sessions from 6:45 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 22 and from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 24, for example.

“I start them off with our general warm-up, followed by strength exercises, and then ending the workout with conditioning,” said Sankovsky.

“I encourage athletes to turn on their cameras, so that way I can see and coach them on their exercise technique. Obviously, many athletes do not have access to weights at home, so I encourage them to use household supplies for some resistance.”

Supplies can include backpacks, laundry detergent, and paint cans.

“Due to their sport, swimmers develop a forward shoulder posture that can lead to issues in the long run. Because of this, I try to do more upper body pulling exercises like rows and chin-ups,” Sankovsky said.

Because student-athletes are now online for the majority of the day for their education, Sankovsky understands why many student-athletes would be hesitant about spending even more time online after school.

“However, there are many athletes who are devoted to the program and participate in all of their sessions during the week,” he said. “I usually do not get feedback from athletes directly, but I will from coaches. I will get many questions from athletes on exercise technique. Virtual training is a different world. Liberty student-athletes have been incredibly resilient, and I’m proud of their efforts this year.”