Bates associate head coach of track and field Curtis Johnson shares a selfie from the greenhouse. (Photo courtesty of Curtis Johnson)
Be flexible. Be able to adjust to a new role on the team, a new position, or a new technique. Support your teammates.
When sports seasons came to an abrupt ending in the middle of March, Bates assistant coaches immediately put into action the lessons they teach student-athletes, becoming good Bates community teammates, taking on new roles as movers, lab and greenhouse attendants, and helpers in security.
"I think about what example I would want to set if my team was watching," says Andrew Deane, an assistant men's lacrosse coach whose new tasks include mice caretaker. "My outlook each day is that and I'm ready to adjust, adapt and be a good teammate."
When Bates announced its move to remote learning on March 13, coaches staffed the student support center in Chase Hall. Many assistant coaches went from dorm to dorm helping carry boxes of belongings to storage, to Post and Print to be shipped, or to students' vehicles as they left Lewiston.
And when the time came for the 80-plus students who remained on campus to move from their various campus residences to the Residential Village, assistant coaches stepped up to help once again.
"Assistant coaches were instrumental in the moving process for students who needed to remain on campus," said Assistant Dean of Students Blake Reilly. "Positive, upbeat, and welcoming, they worked to provide support and calm anxieties while moving students and their belongings in a few hours."
"It didn't matter what part of campus you worked in whether it was athletics, housing or academics, we were all invested and proud to be someone from Bates," says Deane, recalling the days spent in Chase Hall and helping students move. "We were all just working together to make the best of a difficult situation and make it as positive and productive as possible."
As students, faculty, and staff left campus (Bates transitioned to remote work for employees on March 17) it became apparent that more help would be needed in the labs of Carnegie Hall and in the greenhouse on campus.
Mary Hughes is the lab coordinator for animal and plant care safety coordinator for Carnegie Science Hall. During the year, she and a team of students work to ensure all federal regulations to maintain the high standard of care for the animals, and cares for plants in the greenhouse that are used for classes and labs. (The student managers of the Plot, the Bates vegetable garden, also use the greenhouse to begin their seedlings.)
With students headed home and most staff transitioning to work from home, Hughes needed help — and got it, from Deane, along with Christina Marquette an assistant coach for women's basketball, and Curtis Johnson, associate head coach of track and field.
The trio took on jobs they had never experienced before. After updating their tetanus shots and going through the required animal care training, Deane took on whatever tasks were asked of him in the lab, from cleaning and caring for mice to organizing and stocking the lab, while Johnson and Marquette embraced the greenhouse work.
"These three assistant coaches have been so very helpful and a delight to work with," said Hughes. "The work that they are required to do is not always fun, yet they never complain. Having no prior experience with live rodents they jumped right in and caught on quickly to master handling the mice. Curtis, Andrew, and Christina are extremely hard workers. I have appreciated their humor, dedication, positive attitudes and willingness to learn new projects."
Johnson finds comfort in his new greenhouse routine. "It's good to have a daily routine," he said. "It has been an adjustment, but being able to help and support the Bates community in different departments and in ways that we didn't see coming, while Bates is helping and supporting us as employees — that feels good."
Marquette has taken on the weekend shift in the greenhouse. Caring for the plants and planting new vegetables has brought her back to her own roots as a biology and environmental studies major.
"I will really miss these assistant coaches when we return to normal," shared Hughes. "I will always look back and remember this was a very special time in the midst of uncertainty to be allowed to work 'alongside' great Bates employees."
"Bates has given us this opportunity to build relationships with students, faculty, and staff members and we all have a greater appreciation for each other," said Deane. "It has helped us to keep growing and evaluate how we approach challenges and think about your own attitudes differently. It's been a chance for us to be better and make ourselves a part of this larger community."
The three coaches, along with assistant baseball coach Tony Deshler, most recently went through training with Security and Campus Safety to provide additional staff capacity in case of sickness. Deane shared that despite the negative circumstances that brought about this new normal it has been a challenge and a way to step outside of his comfort zone.
"I think about when we are able to look back on this," said Johnson. "Hopefully during a track season in the future, I'll walk by Carnegie or the security offices or the greenhouse and I'll think about these times, and what it really means to be a member of this campus community."
