{"id":8802,"date":"2020-05-15T19:47:20","date_gmt":"2020-05-15T23:47:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/2020\/05\/19\/furman-athletics-embraces-the-new-virtual-normal\/"},"modified":"2022-11-06T19:30:55","modified_gmt":"2022-11-07T00:30:55","slug":"furman-athletics-embraces-the-new-virtual-normal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/furman-athletics-embraces-the-new-virtual-normal\/","title":{"rendered":"Furman athletics embraces the new virtual normal"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the fields closed, stadiums locked and games cancelled because of the novel COVID-19 pandemic, the Furman Athletics Department<\/a> faced two choices: Hunker down and wait for things to go back to normal, or redefine normal.<\/p>\n

The choice was an easy one for Executive Director of Athletics Development Erin Wissing and her team, which went to work immediately turning the very real possibility of irrelevance into a seized opportunity for unprecedented exposure and public presence.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally, this quarantine has given us all a big chance to work on a lot of areas in our professional scope when it comes to social media,\u201d Ty Osborne, Furman\u2019s director of athletics marketing and fan experience, said. \u201cThe best way to put our message out there and to stay connected with everyone is social media, so we’ve been thinking of different ways to make it fun and it still be connected to Furman Paladins.\u201d<\/p>\n

As anyone who follows a Furman account on social media knows by now, the athletics department has rolled out a slew of new hashtags and virtual events coupled with eye-popping graphics over the past two months. Among the most popular are the #BernadiChallenge at-home workouts, an \u201cAttitude of Gratitude\u201d segment throughout April and the launch of a virtual \u201cLunch & Learn\u201d series on Tuesdays.<\/p>\n

The #BernardiChallenge began as a way for Furman Director of Speed, Strength and Conditioning Andre Bernardi and his wife, Kaitlyn, the assistant director of speed, strength and conditioning, to give athletes ways to work out at home before being adopted by the larger Furman community. Below is an example of what they have been putting participants through:<\/p>\n

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MOTIVATE, MOTIVATE, MOTIVATE!<\/p>\n

It's time for this week's #BernardiChallenge<\/a>. Stay connected to the Paladins and @furmanstrength<\/a> with videos of you completing the challenge!#FUAllTheTime<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/xS8g9pFBxM<\/a><\/p>\n

— Furman Paladins (@FurmanPaladins) April 6, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n