getting back in the game
As an athlete myself and a co-owner of match fit performance (mfpx), I feel like 2020 moved fast and slow at the same time.
On the fast side, it all feels like a blur. Time passed like Groundhog Day and even now I still have trouble remembering what day of the week it is. One day I was competing in a weightlifting meet in Columbus, Ohio the weekend before NYC locked down, and the next it had been months since I touched a barbell.
On the slow side, or maybe I’ll call it the more memorable side, we grieved for months with our teams and athletes at the cancellation of seasons, international tournaments, marathons, triathlons, and meets, as well as all of the events surrounding social and racial injustices in our BIPOC communities.
We marched and provided medical coverage at protests and supported as many campaigns as possible with NYGL.
We continued to train NYGL through Zoom, for the duration of what would have been the 2020 season, using all sorts of random household items as weight. If you can remember back to that time, finding gym equipment for home was not easy, and many of the NYGL players live in tiny NYC apartments. My personal favorites were seeing Martha swinging a tea kettle full of rocks because she didn’t have a kettlebell, and Cassie squatting with Stazi clinging to her like a monkey because she needed more weight!
After June, when the 2020 season would have ended, we ran a workshop series, held community yoga for athletes classes, and tried our hand at a virtual training camp, all while wondering if we would be able to stay open.
Then, October came around. Things had seemed to settle down, vaccines were in trials, and the conversation around the 2021 PUL season opened up with so many questions: Would there be a season? Would it be safe? What would it look like? How could we handle it?
Followed by questions from the NYGL athletes: Will I mentally be ready? Will my body be ready? How will I be able to get reps in? Will I still be as good as I was?
We knew that we could not approach this season the same as any other. Without access to the right equipment and no opportunities to play in leagues or pick-up, we had to assume that most athletes had essentially taken a long break not only physically, but also mentally. We knew that with the uncertainty surrounding the season, we would need something that addressed both the physical and mental aspects of athlete wellness.
This was where the Ramp-Up was created.
In a collaborative effort with the NYGL Athletic Training and Development Committee, we developed an 8-week program with mfpx and Dr. Annie Chanler that included a progressive strength and conditioning program, and wellness workshops that encompassed other skills and knowledge that athletes would need on and off the field: nutrition, sleep, stress management, mindfulness, and motivation.
Training-wise, it was to serve as “a pre-season to pre-season,” but could also be pushed and progressed if an athlete had been back to training for a while on their own.
“The Ramp-Up program gave me the amazing opportunity to reconnect with the New York Gridlock Ultimate community.”
In addition to the content, the Ramp-Up was meant to provide community and connection to like-minded individuals. Yes, many were signed players on the 2020 roster, but thanks to technology we were able to have other members of the ultimate community join, too.
For 8 weeks, these individuals committed to meeting on Zoom twice a week, once for training as a group and once for the wellness workshops, and to making the time and space for the rest of the training program.
As we complete the final week of The Ramp-Up, and with the PUL’s recent announcement of the 2021 Championship Series, I finally feel hope and relief for these athletes. “Resilient” seems to have been an overused word in the pandemic era, but I can’t think of a better one to describe this group of people and the NYGL organization.
“When our season finally comes around, I’ll be more ready than ever.”
As much as I would love to keep saying how great The Ramp-Up is and has been, I think it’s only fair to let the participants speak for themselves:
Kyla dayer
“The Ramp-Up program gave me the amazing opportunity to reconnect with the New York Gridlock Ultimate community and prepare for return-to-play after missing a season of competitive ultimate. The tailored workouts and wellness workshops truly equipped me with the physical and mental skills to resume high-level ultimate in a safe, gradual progression. The results were noticeable within a few weeks and the incremental change in workouts week to week was crucial to re-building strength without risking injury. I'm pumped to see how the 2021 season evolves.”
Becca Tucker
“Rena and Erwin take the guesswork out of getting back into shape without getting injured. They ramp their programming up gradually, systematically and intelligently, doing the big picture thinking so you don't have to. When I tried to get myself back in gear at the end of the winter by running, I overdid it and got tendinitis. I let it heal, waited for the ramp-up, and now, at its end, I'm seeing and feeling results without (knock knock) any nagging injuries dogging me.”
Caro Turner
“I love working with match fit! In addition to the awesome training, they have helped me understand and commit to nutrition, sleep, and other habits to support my goals. When our season finally comes around, I’ll be more ready than ever.”
Amy Zhou
“The Ramp-Up program has been incredibly helpful in getting me ready to play ultimate again. The benefits of the program are best broken down into the following 3 components: strength & conditioning workouts, wellness workshops, and community connection.
Strength & conditioning workouts
It is SO nice having all my lifting and field workouts organized and tracked in an app with text descriptions and video demonstrations. I don't have to do any thinking at all because Rena and Erwin tell me exactly what to do. As the exercises have progressed over the weeks into increasingly ultimate-specific movements, I've felt myself progress from stumbling around cones to exploding out of cuts with confidence.
My rating: 10/10
Wellness workshops
Wow who knew learning was so fun? The topics so far (nutrition, motivation, stress, sleep) have been interesting and relevant. I really appreciate the holistic approach that Rena, Erwin, and Annie take to improving athletic performance and helping us live better in general.
My rating: 10/10
Community connection
I love being able to share my love of cottage cheese during our Monday group workouts, Thursday workshops, and on our message board. In all seriousness, it's been great interacting with humans again.
My rating: 10/10
Final rating: 30/10 (A++++) would do again (but sincerely hope not to have to go through another post-pandemic ramp-up ever again).”
