Despite remaining in the state’s most restrictive tier, Cal Lutheran is working on getting athletes back on campus and in shape to compete while striving to follow NCAA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

During months of downtime due to the COVID-19 pandemic, athletes have been unable to practice with their respective teams, but some student-athletes have taken it upon themselves to find other creative ways to stay in shape.

“During the time off I’ve been doing a lot of skateboarding, I love to do that so I’ve been doing that a lot. My mom’s a runner so I run with her and train with her,” Dylan Schreibfeder, first year Kingsmen Volleyball player, said in a Zoom interview.

Schreibfeder said he’s been utilizing the outdoor area at Forrest Fitness Center when it’s open to lift with his teammates, but has struggled keeping up with other health habits.

“I feel like if COVID wasn’t around right now I’d be paying a lot more attention to my diet and my sleeping habits,” Schreibfeder said.

Schreibfeder said he hasn’t felt too much pressure from his teammates to be overly prepared because the whole nation is in the same boat and easing up on his fitness routine is inevitable.

Trevor Campbell, a junior transfer on the Kingsmen Water Polo team, said in a Zoom interview that he tries to swim every day with a few guys from the team. The Westlake Village native has also utilized the Forrest Fitness Center when it’s open, but has had to adjust to closures as well.

“I’ve been using the CLU weight room while they’ve been open and when they’re not open I have some weight belts and stuff at home and make my own dryland workouts,” Campbell said.

Campbell said he has enjoyed his time at Cal Lutheran thus far and is excited to get in the water officially with the Kingsmen Water Polo team. He said he thinks they are going to have a successful season.

“Each team has a different dynamic to it. Obviously I will prepare and try to make myself the best product that I can be… [as a]  transfer and pretty much anytime I’m on a team, I always try to work my hardest to be the best I can be,” Campbell said.

Campbell said he has been working hard during these uncertain times but is staying active as much as he can.

“Starting today [Feb. 2] the captains Parker [Jory] and Stephen [Blaauw] led a practice for us today and we’re just going to keep doing captain-led practices until the coaching staff is able to show up then we can really start to work on some stuff,” Campbell said.

Alexander Briggs, Cal Lutheran junior on the Kingsmen Baseball team, said in a Zoom interview that he knows how he should be preparing and what he should expect after being on the team for three years.

“I think there is definitely a higher standard of how in shape I should be and at what point I should be in that athletic shape,” Briggs said.

Briggs said athletically, he doesn’t think he is where he should be if things were to begin tomorrow, but said he also knows that ultimately it is not his fault because of the obstacles he’s had to face during this time off.

“I’ve been staying active by keeping my body in shape either running, training at Sports Academy or Gold’s Gym with a couple of my other teammates,” Briggs said.

Because baseball is a spring sport, Briggs said he is hoping to be on the field this semester and is steadily preparing for that return.

Fall and winter athletes will not have a conference-sanctioned season, but according to Director of Athletics Dan Kuntz, the athletics department is working hard to get all athletes back on campus, practicing and competing again.