Going the Distance

Deanna Ruggiero

Due to CDC regulations, less athletes were able to attend the camp itself as well as the fact there were social distancing guidelines in place. Other than that, the structure of the camp and the workouts we performed were similar to previous years.

When my college got sent home in March, I was battling an injury for a while after being home. I found it challenging not being able to train during the heavy lockdown months, however it was easy for me to recover and start over with my training. Throughout those months, Coach Braz was extremely helpful during the recovery process and in giving me workouts once I was healthy enough to train again. This summer more than ever before I built up my strength before endurance, which in turn helped me to get back in shape faster.

The best part of the onsite sessions was being able to be with other athletes and friends who pushed me. I missed the team aspect of training so coming together a few days a week was beneficial mentally and physically.

Like every year, I am glad I was able to continue the program despite the circumstances of a canceled athletic season. Finding out there was no soccer season was disheartening, however I view it as a time to better myself and to keep up my training for both soccer and track.

[Deanna is a student-athlete at Emmanuel College. For more on Deanna, see her interview from 2018, linked on the left.]