Notestine keeping Bobcats in shape amid stay-at-home order
The coronavirus pandemic has forced many to become creative in how they perform their jobs. As the Director of Strength and Conditioning at Ohio University, Bellefontaine High School product Dak Notesine is one of those.
College sports has been put on hold because of the virus. Athletes are not permitted to be coached or trained in a face-to-face setting. That has made it a challenge for Notesine to keep the Bobcats in shape.
“It has taken some creativity,” said Notesine, a 2006 BHS graduate who went on to become a captain on the Ohio football team. “I am basically a virtual strength coach right now. I have written three workouts for our players and I have tried to take advantage of social media, using those platforms to get the information to our guys. We also have had an app that we use that provides things like nutritional information. We have tried to create as many options as possible for our athletes.”
Notestine has worked with many of the Bobcats sports teams in his position in Athens. Currently, his two main sports are football and women’s basketball.
Since Ohio started spring football before the coronavirus restrictions were ordered, Notestine said it helped his athletes develop a routine they could stick with during the present layoff.
“We had just finished our first week of spring camp and we were getting ready to take spring break week off,” said Notesine. “I had put together a workout for them over spring break, so we have just kind of prolonged it over these last few weeks.”
Notestine and the Ohio coaching staff stay connected through online virtual meetings.
“That allows us to stay informed on what everybody is working on and it keeps everyone on the same page,” said Notestine.
In addition to his virtual work for his athletes, the former Chieftain has also been able to donate some time to help those who have been hurt financially during the pandemic.
“I am part of a very strong community and there are some people that are facing some tough times right now,” said Notestine. “I had the opportunity to take part in a coaches’ clinic to raise money to help them out. It was great to be involved in something like that.”
As the sports world continues to be stuck in a holding pattern, Notestine is confident his athletes will be ready to get back at it when the time comes.
“When things were shut down, Coach (Frank) Solich made the comment that we are probably in a better position than some other programs to handle something like this,” said Notestine. “The guys that have been recruited here are very dedicated and they have done a great job of working on their own. With the technology we have, we are very optimistic that we will be ready to go when this is over. We are all trying to stay optimistic. If everyone does what they should, we will be OK.”