Panther Post
April 2020 - Volume #5
A Message from Heather Lyke
Dear Panthers,
As the uncertainty in the world continues, I hope this newsletter finds you and your families safe and healthy. For those of you affected personally by this pandemic, please know our University and Athletic Department are here to help and assist in any way possible. PEOPLE MATTER and we want to help our Pitt Athletics family. I understand routines have changed but our expectations of providing an extraordinary experience to our student-athletes have not. We may have to think differently and creatively to accomplish this mission, but we’ve shown that it can be done. Thanks to everyone for all of the continued efforts on projects, communication and tasks to keep us moving forward. From the virtual Student-Athlete Day celebrations to the Virtual Panthers Choice Awards – everything was a hit and helped our student-athletes gain a sense of normalcy during this abnormal time.
Ironically, as I was writing this message about the change to our daily routines, I saw this tweet from Coach Terri Mitchell: “All of us have been unexpectedly ‘paused’ from our daily routines for a month or longer. It’s a great time to take inventory of our situation – what have you done to enhance your life and those around you? We have to stop ‘waiting’ for this to end and embrace what is in front of us.” Her message reminded me of what Chancellor Gallagher shared with our Cabinet. He said that the word crisis when written in Chinese is two symbols. The symbol of Danger and Opportunity. So let’s continue to focus on the OPPORTUNITIES to make ourselves and our areas better as we prepare to return to campus!
Working in Athletics, many of us are creatures of habit, and for the first time in perhaps a very long time, all of us are without our normal routines. Many of you know that I very rarely miss an early morning run. These days, one of my perks has been being joined by my middle daughter, Sophie, who pushes me and makes us smoothies when we’re done! It is impossible to recapture the time we are spending running, talking and planning out our days. One additional benefit has been for my kids to “see” all the people we work with on our zoom calls, which makes them more connected and understanding of the job and responsibilities. While we are not all together in the same place for now, it is great to see the amount of communication continue and know many people feel connected to each other more now than ever before.
As we continue to navigate this temporary routine, let’s take Coach Mitchell and the Chancellor’s advice and challenge each other to see the OPPORTUNITY to make the most of this time and how we can continue to positively impact our student-athletes’ experiences.
On the light side of things, my kids are making the most of the OPPORTUNITY for remote learning (I think). Below is a video they worked on for about six hours one day after they got their 45 minutes of school work done! :) Sophie and Eli are performing and Elle is choreographing. Take note of the Pitt Panthers basketball hoop pole cover…you can order online at Dick’s with the new colors and new Panther Head! :)
Obviously, there is a lot of uncertainty about what this academic year will look like. As many of you know, I sit on the Division I Council, and we are meeting frequently to address many outstanding items, including return to practice and competition scenarios, transfer waivers, and academic eligibility issues. Additionally, the ACC Athletic Directors are meeting every Tuesday and Thursday morning to discuss options for the upcoming academic year and best practices for our departments. Likewise, we are running through various scenarios at Pitt relating to return to practice/competition and work, summer school and training, and the economic impact of the pandemic. Please know I will communicate to everyone as soon as I can to make sure we are all informed.
Most importantly, I hope each of you continue to stay safe and healthy. Thank you for your continued hard work and appreciation for how our University is supporting us. I can’t wait to see everyone again in person!
H2P!
Heather
COVID-19 Resources
MyHealth@Work
If you or a family member are sick, we encourage you to call MyHealth@Work at 412-647-4949, your primary care physician, or visit the UPMC website to set-up a UPMC Anywhere Care virtual appointment.
United Way 2-1-1
Our 2-1-1 resource navigators are prepared to offer general health information and are referring people who need further evaluation to the Allegheny County Health Department. We are also working with county leadership and public safety in our suburban counties to provide similar and county-specific resources. Our 2-1-1 team is taking calls from throughout the region to help people who are struggling to buy food, pay rent or utilities, and meet other basic needs.
If you need immediate assistance, please dial 2-1-1, text your zip code to 898-211, or visit http://pa211sw.org/.
Thriving (Not Just Surviving) Through Uncertainty
Rather than being alone, we face the challenge together.
By clicking the link below, you can download some tips provided by Jennifer Brown to navigate the uncertainty that lies ahead and how to use this time to productively better ourselves and the people around us. Practicing different ways of responding can strengthen your resilience.
Community Service
Hill District Initiative
Care Packages for UPMC
Shout out to all who contributed and donated items for care packages for our UPMC Healthcare Workers! BIG thank you to Celeste Welsh, Jennifer Brown and Allison Rubin for gathering all the items, gift cards and compiling them in gift bags to give to the workers. These selfless acts are one of the bright spots amidst this crisis!
#HailingFromHome
Virtual Panthers' Choice Awards: Full Show!
If you weren't able to catch the awards on Twitter, see below for the full show! For a list of winners, visit PittsburghPanthers.com.
Support Local Businesses!
Check out our partners and neighbors and what they're offering during this time.
How Are You #HailingFromHome?
A message from @PennyS66!
— Pitt Athletics (@Pitt_ATHLETICS) April 10, 2020
Every Friday we want to see how you’re #HailingFromHome or repping Pitt if you are an essential worker.
We’re all in this together. #H2P pic.twitter.com/B2i5LgJwDg
Zoom Backgrounds
Bring Pitt to your home with custom Zoom backgrounds! Click here for download instructions.
Welcome to Pitt Athletics!
New Hire | Title | Alma Mater | Office Location |
Nathan Duke | Coordinator of Broadcast Engineering | Full Sail University | Petersen Events Center |
Ryann McConnell | Director of Signature Events and Donor Experience | University of Pittsburgh (Swimming & Diving Forever Panther) | Petersen Events Center |
Nick O'Malley | IT Support Analyst | University of Wisconsin-La Crosse | Fitzgerald Field House |
Congratulations Corner
New Panther!
Assistant Athletic Director for Broadcast and Video Production Kelly Hammonds and her husband, Patrick, welcomed their daughter, Madison James Hammonds, into the world on March 5, 2020.
Baby Stats: weighing in at 7lbs 6ounces and 20 inches tall
Staff Spotlight
Quarantine Favorites - Director of Marketing Gloria Caples
- Favorite social media follow
- @Iammiketodd on Instagram – He is a great follow because he provides inspiration and encouragement needed to get through quarantine.
- Favorite comfort food
- Almond Pecan Crunch – It’s sold at Sam’s Club and it is so delicious!
- Favorite TV show
- Grey’s Anatomy
- Favorite movie
- This is a touchy question because I have a few, but right now I’ll say Brown Sugar.
- Favorite book
- You Win In the Locker Room First by Jon Gordon and Mike Smith
- Favorite musical artist and song
- I enjoy a lot of musical artists so I couldn’t name one. Some of my favorites are Jonathan McReynolds, Chris Brown, Ari Lennox, Jill Scott, Kirk Franklin and Beyonce. My favorite song is Superstition by Stevie Wonder.
- Favorite podcast
- Life With the Lindseys
- Favorite board/card game to play with family
- UNO
- Activity you didn’t realize you missed until the COVID-19 pandemic
- Hanging out with friends and family – Thank goodness for FaceTime and Zoom!
- Last show you binge watched
- Godfather of Harlem – I saw Coach Capel tweet about it and checked it out. Such a good show!
- Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime
- Netflix
Pitt Is Fit
Exercise of the Month: At-Home Edition
As we work from home with restricted access from any of our regular workout locations, we’d like to provide you a sample workout for the month of April. Additionally, we’d like to suggest a simple structure for you to create your own at-home workouts with variety and ways to make them more challenging!
As you’ll see in the video, the movements in this video are:
- Squat (10 reps)
- Pushups (10 reps)
- Side plank (:20 each side)
- Glute bridge (:30)
- Supermans (10 reps)
- Russian twist (20 each side),
- Book bag row (10 reps)
We suggest that you perform these exercises in the fashion of a circuit, resting :10-:15 between each exercise. After completion of the last exercise, rest for 1:00 and then go through the series again. If you’re feeling good, feel free to go for an additional round. As you progress you can decrease rest periods or add additional reps, more time, or an additional round in future sessions.
The routine itself consist of alternating lower body, upper body, and trunk exercises. Pick 2-3 exercises for each body part and perform 6-12 reps of each depending on your individual activity level. You can follow this same format and get as creative as you’d like.
As you improve and progress, you can add resistance using household items such as book bags, milk jugs, suit cases, coolers, soup cans, and more! Still looking to step it up a notch? Create a household competition to see who can get through your workout of choice the fastest!
As with any exercise program, if at any point during your workout you begin to feel faint, dizzy or have physical discomfort, you should stop immediately and consult a medical professional.
Recipe of the Month: Pantry Edition
