Student-Athlete Day Kicks Off Return of Charger Athletics

The Edison State Community College Athletic Department held its annual Student-Athlete Day on Monday, August 2, 2021, at the Piqua Campus. Held virtually last year, the kick-off event returned to an in-person format to help prepare student-athletes to participate in the upcoming volleyball, basketball, baseball, and softball seasons.

During the event, student-athletes learned tips to be successful at Edison State and heard presentations from various campus departments, including:

• Enrollment Management
• Financial Aid
• Student Services
• Business Office
• Library and Tutoring Center
• Facilities
• Security
• Title IX

Athletic Trainer Erin Schmerge of Premier Health went over training room and treatment rules, concussion baseline testing, and concussion and emergency protocols. Schmerge also provided student-athletes with physical fitness, diet, and other tips to help them stay physically fit, as well as guidance to help prevent injuries and what to do if an injury does occur.

The athletic department went over rules and regulations with student-athletes, such as study rules, grade checks, and other eligibility requirements. Student-athletes signed their contracts, had their headshots and bios collected, and learned about their involvement with the Charger Athletics Reverse Raffle, a fundraiser held annually to support student-athletes.

After being canceled this past spring, Edison State athletics will be resuming this fall with as much normalcy as possible while ensuring student-athletes remain healthy and safe. The upcoming seasons kick off with a home volleyball game on Wednesday, August 25, 2021.

"We've built our schedules to address COVID in a specific way," said Edison State Athletics Director Nate Cole. "Number one, we have no overnight trips. All of our games are single, one-day trips. Number two, we don't leave the state of Ohio. All games will be played within the state."

For the volleyball and men's and women's basketball seasons, out-of-state teams will travel to Edison State, but it will be a limited number. These teams will be required to follow Edison State regulations and COVID checks.

"It took some work, but we were still able to build a full schedule," Cole added.

All games on the fall schedule for baseball and softball will be played at home. A decision on the spring schedule will be made closer to the spring season and will depend on the state of the pandemic at that time.

"We're really excited to get back on the courts and fields to play," said Cole. "We were one of the few colleges to keep all of our people and keep them engaged, practicing and playing intrasquad scrimmages. Our staff did a great job of keeping all of our student-athletes."

Cole continued that the support of Edison State President Dr. Doreen Larson has been critical to keeping players and resuming athletics. "Dr. Larson has been fantastic every step of the way. She's made sure we do what we can to continue to play and compete and are doing everything we can to play this fall and entire year."

Edison State's baseball, softball, basketball, and volleyball teams compete in the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) and are Division II members of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).