The support of teammates and sense of togetherness are among the most beneficial aspects of being student-athletes, according to research by Abigail Lashinsky, a junior double majoring in wellness management and psychology. Lashinsky's findings will be among the many presentations, posters and performances scheduled for Quest on April 6. (Photo courtesy of Lexi Fragapane/Oswego Athletics)
Abigail Lashinsky, a junior double majoring in wellness management and psychology, will explore student-athletes’ connections to wellness, a sense of belonging and the impacts of the pandemic as part of a Quest presentation on April 6.
Lashinsky’s presentation, “Division III Collegiate Athletes and the Fulfillment of the Eight Dimensions of Wellness: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis,” will take place at 10 a.m. April 6 in 142 Marano Campus Center and via Zoom.
Since Lashinsky also is an athletic coaching minor, this project connected all three academic areas of interest while exploring a number of pertinent questions. And while Oswego has around 450 varsity student-athletes on 24 teams, these Lakers haven’t been part of many such studies.
Questions addressed a variety of topics as well as the eight dimensions of wellness: physical, intellectual, social, emotional, financial, occupational and spiritual. Some questions also asked how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted them.
“That actually made many of them feel more passionate about the sport,” Lashinsky said. “It gave some of them a break in terms of not practicing or playing, but it confirmed how important it is to them.”
Some of the younger participants said they weren’t originally planning to play a sport in college but the pandemic causing time away from the practice and playing spheres made them more interested in putting on Laker jerseys.
Better together
Respondents found the sense of togetherness of being on a team a source of benefits across wellness dimensions.
“They really rely on their teammates for their support,” Lashinsky noted. “They are their main sources of friendship, in part because they get what each other go through. But they also feel accepted as members of the campus community.”
In addition, another key benefit of playing sports was as the primary outlet for stress release for student-athletes.
Lashinsky, who is still finalizing analysis on the project, also found some student-athletes feeling a need to meet a higher level of expectations in juggling academics and athletics. She hopes to offer recommendations on how to make them better aware of resources available to them, as well as explore other tactics that can help them deal with any challenges along the wellness dimensions.
She also noted that Dr. Jessica Harris of the health promotion and wellness faculty serves as faculty mentor on the project and has been a tremendous resource.
Quest begins with an opening event and poster session from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 5, at SUNY Oswego's Syracuse campus. Wednesday, April 6, features no classes in deference to Quest presentations, poster sessions and performances between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the main SUNY Oswego campus.
For more information on Quest, visit oswego.edu/quest.
Abigail Lashinsky, a junior double majoring in wellness management and psychology, will explore student-athletes’ connections to wellness, a sense of belonging and the impacts of the pandemic as part of her April 6 Quest presentation.