University of Massachusets Athletics
Student Support Services
May 10, 2023 | Academic Success
Health Enhancement
The Athletic Health Enhancement Program (AHEP) is a multidimensional program which offers services to student-athletes, coaches and the athletics administration. The program not only provides current and accurate information on all health related topics, but provides consultations, referrals and educational counseling.
The educational component includes group and individual sessions on alcohol and drugs, eating disorders and nutrition, stress management and other health issues that may concern a student-athlete.
Consultation is available for student-athletes, coaches and staff seeking ways to approach an individual they are concerned about. The concerns are not exclusively health related. The intervention service is available for student-athletes who are concerned about problems in their personal lives.
Referrals are an integral part of AHEP, which has daily contact with numerous departments within University Health Services, such as the nutrition department, the eating disorder clinic, dental services and the mental health clinic. In addition to UHS referrals, information on the Mather Career Center, Dean of Students Office, Everywoman's Center, disability services and legal services are readily available in the AHEP library. Student-athletes and coaches may review current video tapes or explore the library which consists of updated health related information.
Nutrition
Food is important for fueling your body, excelling at your sport and investing in your overall health.  As a student athlete it can be difficult to juggle getting a healthy diet with your busy school schedule, workouts, and travel days.  A dietitian, from the University Health Services, is available for student athletes 2 days a week in Boyden room 277. You can make individual appointments by signing up on the door, to discuss calorie needs, hydration, and how to get the most out of your sport by eating wisely. A sports nutritionist can recommend the types of foods to eat, the types to avoid, and when to eat and how much. For students with challenges to performance, such as food allergies, bone loss, gastrointestinal disturbances and iron deficiencies, meeting with a dietitian can be extremely helpful. The nutritionist can help match calories to the student's exercise needs and work with concerns about disordered eating.
The sports dietitian provides presentations on nutrition for team travel, eating at the dining halls, and cooking ideas for at home. Meeting with the nutritionist can help with translating the latest scientific evidence into practical sports nutrition recommendations.
To meet with a Sports Nutritionist, please come to 277 Boyden and sign up on the door. If you cannot make the dates available in Boyden, call 413 577-5101 for appointments at University Health Services.
Strength and Conditioning
The goal of the Strength and Conditioning Department is to see that the student-athlete achieves his/her potential academically, athletically, physically and mentally while gaining self-fulfillment.
The Strength and Conditioning staff designs workouts for 22 varsity athletic teams. The focus of our training is on multi-joint training or Olympic movements. All weight training is monitored by the Strength and Conditioning staff. Every member of the staff is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) or the International Sports Science Association (ISSA).
There are two Strength and Conditioning facilities available to UMass athletes:
- Boyden Gym: 8:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.
- Football Performance Center: football only.
- Mullins Center: ice hockey and basketball only.
Before using the weight room, each student-athlete must attend a weight room orientation, and sign a weight room policy form. This will insure a safe and proper environment for our student-athletes to train.
The Recreation Center is primarily dedicated to non-varsity students.
Sports Medicine
The Athletic Injury Care staff at the University of Massachusetts consists of six full-time certified athletic trainers and three certified graduate assistant athletic trainers. It also consists of two primary care physicians, who are assigned to University Health Services, five orthopedic surgeons and various participating specialists retained through University Health Services. The team physicians have years of experience in the recognition, evaluation and treatment of injuries incurred by student-athletes.
REPORTING OF INJURIES
When an injury or illness occurs during the course of an athletic event, practice, or travel, the team's certified athletic trainer should be notified. If necessary, the certified athletic trainer will notify the appropriate medical authorities for further diagnosis and definitive treatment. In case of emergency during the hours when a certified athletic trainer is not on duty, or is unavailable, student-athletes can seek immediate treatment from University Health Services or at the nearest hospital, but must notify the Athletic Injury Care staff at the first appropriate opportunity. All head coaches and assistants are expected to comply with the Department of Athletics medical policies in both spirit and intent.
FACILITIES
UMass has four Athletic Injury Care facilities located around campus that accommodate the various needs of our athletic teams that practice and compete at these locations. The Boyden athletic training room, Room 20 located on the bottom floor of Boyden, is open every day from 7am to 7pm.
REHABILITATION OF INJURIES
The Boyden athletic training room is open from 7am to 3:30pm for specific rehabilitation time. The periods are by appointment only. Student-athletes should call 545-0094 to schedule an appointment.
CONFIDENTIALITY
All medical and health related information is strictly confidential. All medical records are also maintained at University Health Services (UHS).
Athletic Communications
The UMass Athletic Media Relations office is located in Mullins Center on the 3rd Floor. The staff handles communication between the Athletic Department, the media and fans. Each of the 21 varsity sports is assigned a Media Relations staff member, who serves as the contact person for sport.
UMass athletic teams enjoy tremendous exposure in publications such as the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Springfield Republican and the Daily Hampshire Gazette. In addition, the Media Relations staff interacts daily with TV, radio stations, and websites throughout the Commonwealth, around the nation and with media outlets in the hometowns of UMass student-athletes.
In addition to the day-to-day responsibilities that go along with promoting a nationally-recognized 21-sport athletic program, the Media Relations staff is responsible for the UMass Athletics Web site, production of UMass video & television broadcasts, and developing and maintaining the historical archives of the athletic department.
Important things to remember when dealing with the media:
- Be prepared;
- Be positive;
- Praise your teammates;
- Keep your answers short and simple;
- Smile;
- Be enthusiastic;
- Be personable;
- Be available and cooperative;
- Be polite in difficult situations;
- Turn negatives into positives;
- If you have concerns about your privacy being violated, or with the general tone of the interview, please let the Media Relations staff know as soon as possible.
Even if you have your Facebook, Twitter, or other social media accounts set to private, please exercise caution and awareness with what you place or allow to be placed on the Internet.
Remember that in this Digital Age, what you say, or are shown to be doing, on the Internet can damage your reputation, affect your ability to be hired, or have negative consequences on your team and teammates.
People will perceive you by not just how you interact with them in reality, but also in how you are portrayed online – either by your own words or those of others.