Stars on Sports Intro: It's time for Stars on Sports! A podcast-radio show dedicated to sharing stories about our athletic program at Lansing Community College. LCC athletics has a strong tradition. 23 national championship wins! Over 170 All-Americans, 19 MCCAA all sports trophies! Stars on Sports will introduce you to individuals that have contributed to our program success and give you the backstory on what it takes to develop it. We'll also dive into and break down the topics and issues facing athletic departments across the nation and right here at LCC. This is Stars on Sports!

Welcome back to another episode of Stars on Space. Today, we are excited to have a special guest here. Joining us, Mari Croze, the Associate Dean of Health and Human Services. She's been at LCC for over 10 years and we are excited because the HHS division is an integral part of the athletic program and something Mari has helped us initiate working together in our short time here, you know, longer for her. So we are glad to have her and talk more about HHS and how it is impactful to the LCC community and our athletic program in general. So, Mari, this is successful, exciting for me. You know, we met when I first started here at LCC and you were very instrumental and very supportive of our athletic program. And we have a lot of student athletes that major in HHS and specifically kinesiology, which is under your realm. Can you share a little bit about HHS for us?

Sure. Thanks, Greg, Steven, for having me. I'm excited to talk about our kinesiology program because it is a field that a lot of athletes look at because of how tight it is to exercise science, sports, human movement. So we get a lot of athletes that come through our degree. We have an associate's degree that really is a transfer degree. So it prepares you to go to the major universities which you guys know. A lot of those would be like MSU right down the road. Western Central SVSU Saginaw Valley has an awesome exercise science program. Beautiful labs up there, Grand Valley Eastern. So a lot of the major universities we have partnerships with or articulation agreements so our students can transfer seamlessly over there. We also have two certificates. So if the students are interested in working while going to school, they could get a certification as a group fitness instructor or as a certified personal trainer. So lots of options. Like I said, a lot of our students are athletes because they want to stay in that field in some way.

And I agree it just goes hand in hand with fitness and health and the human body. I mean, those are such an important part of our performance and staying Healthy and being successful. Is it a growing field? You mentioned a lot of colleges that have these programs. Is it a major that's becoming more popular and being added to it is.

It actually has, if I remember statistics correctly, about a 30% growth rate, which was one of the highest. And that's because our field leads to those extended degrees like physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician's assistant. So that would be starting in kinesiology, working your way into those types of degrees.

Good, good. So they got to take anatomy and physiology.

Absolutely. Anatomy, physics, biomechanics, all the fun stuff.

Do you find it difficult with having a lot of student athletes that are taking part in the kinesiology department? They also have different schedules than what an average student might have. So how are you able to kind of work around that? And are there plans in place to continue improving that? Because, you know, obviously they have practice schedules, they have weight room, schedule. They have all the other things that are going on too. So is that something that you've noticed?

Sure. That's a great question, honestly. Something that I take very seriously because I was a student athlete as well. And I remember my academic advisor talking to me, saying, well, you create your own schedule because you're an athlete. And I thought, no, that's not really how it works. It's student first, athlete second. And we have a lot of faculty members full time that were also student athletes. So we know, we relate. We understand the rigorous schedule. Like you said, it's practice time, it's strength time, it's sleeping time, it's eating properly. So we know all of that and what that student athlete needs to be successful. So we will meet with those students, make sure that they have what they need. Because I do know with travel and things are times they may have to miss classes. So we'll help them get caught up. We have great resources on campus that we're always referring them to with academic success coaches or tutoring or whatever those students will need. We will help them find those resources.

Yeah. And it's been beneficial with your knowledge and you being a previous student athlete, to understand those things. You know, Steven and I have talked before about how our calendar, the athletic department calendar, is different than the academic calendar. And, you know, I've been very impressed with your communication, you know, you know, reaching out to us and being proactive regarding getting practice times from our student athletes and our coaches and our teams to try and make it more successful. Because time management is one of the biggest issues that our student athletes deal with and with so Many in that particular program, you know, just another benefit of. Of having a good working relationship. Do you feel that, like, most recently, we've been, you know, you've been helping us coordinate, you know, using strength and conditioning. We've had a couple of your instructors work with some of our teams and feel that has been very beneficial. Is that something that's happened in the past, too, or that just more recent and, you know, how can we continue to develop them?

That is actually more recent. And that was something that I had in the back of my head for years that I wanted to do with you and Steven being fairly new to the college. I do take. I just want to apologize because I probably came in a little aggressive saying, hey, we need to do this, we need to do that. But I saw that partnership there, and thankfully, you two were both on board and as excited about it as I was. So it's been awesome. We do have two faculty right now that are working with multiple programs. Volleyball, women's basketball, men's baseball. And I talked with Steven the other day. It sounds like the results that those athletes are getting from the strength and conditioning along with proper nutrition, they're seeing those gains and strengths that they need to. The other thing that you guys are helping us out with is we have the kinesiology lab so we can do further testing. And so instead of taking, quote, your average student, we can also assess an elite athlete, which would be your athlete. So it's working in our benefit, too, that our students in kinesiology are getting to assess your athlete. So it's giving them further experience to help them in the degree.

Well, and it also speaks volumes to your department and the resources in the department. The inbody equipment in the weight room, that exercise physiology lab, and the equipment in there, those are, you know, very nice for us to be a part of, but very nice for your students to get practical experience. You know, where do we go move forward with that? In the weight room, in the fitness center? Are there needs there that we need to work together on? Or. I mean, again, we're fortunate with the facilities we have and that we're utilizing them. But, you know, Jen, those are just, you know, we call them class, and I know you do too. They are classrooms for you, but, you know, they are important classrooms to us. And you talk about the growth of our student athletes, but also a big part we're gonna see is injury prevention, too, that it will help our athletes be stronger over time, that their bodies will be able to maintain all the exertion and Pressure on them. We haven't really talked about goals for those facilities and we joked about other facilities on campus. But what's your take on our current facilities and goals?

What's your vis?

Oh, I have a big vision. If you build it, they will come right. First and foremost, I would like to get every sport involved in the strength and conditioning piece. We're at a good starting point and we're showing that it's working and it's working well. So I'd like to get those other teams on board and get them paired up with a faculty member as well. But my vision, we are blessed, I have to say. We're very fortunate with the facilities that we have. And we have multiple facilities and you guys know that we have a beautiful weight room fitness center on the second floor. We have a fitness center out at West Campus that's primarily utilized by our students, but also police academy, fire academy line workers. So a lot of collaboration across campus, which is cool. But my vision would be to have one big rec center that everybody could utilize. So not just the student athletes, not just the kin students, but all of the students, employees, alumni. I'd like to open it up to our retirees someday and possibly even the community.

And it's so beneficial and we see it in society of how important exercise and conditioning is to mental health. And seeing just our general students in there utilizing that facility, it's a benefit. And we know the cost of what memberships cost at private businesses. So it's just an added value to being a student and a student athlete here at LCC. And you're right, we are fortunate what we have, but like to be a part of your vision and see what we can make even better in the future. So how, you know the exercise physiology lab is that you know who's the main like instructor in there and you know how often and you know where I mean, you know, we, you know, we had to sign up at orientation for student athletes to be a part of that. It's very interesting walking by it and it's in a pretty cool location because when you come off the parking ramp, it's right there as you walk into the gym. But can you get a little more specific about the exercise physiology lab itself?

Sure. So first I need to give a shout out to Amy Stokes. She's our program director in fitness and wellness and kinesiology of academics. So she's really. She schedules our courses. She looks at times to make sure that they're convenient for students and that they can get to class the other person would be Jennifer Hilker. So she would be teaching those exercise physiology labs. And depending on size, as you know, it's a beautiful space, but it is smaller. I called it our closet to classroom HGTV project because we literally run renovated two closets into one lab space. So it is a smaller lab space. We will be opening, I think for spring, two sections of it to accommodate all of our students. And then we also. It's connected or it's next door to our group fitness room. So we utilize both rooms to make sure that we have enough space for all of the people that will be using it. So we get creative with our spaces.

You have to. And so do we. And that's good stuff.

So the one thing too that I should mention, and you touched on it a little bit, I think there's a lot of things that we're doing here at LCC that I'm not aware that other community colleges are doing in our state. And one is the strength and conditioning with our athletes, the other one is the testing that we're doing. But the one thing is our facilities are free to all of our students, employees and alumni. And I have not heard of this anywhere else. And when I say free, I mean free. We have no hidden tuition costs. There is no line item for recreation fitness. So it is truly free. Our doors are open to everybody. And I love that because that removes a barrier for our people. The other thing about our centers, and we talked a little bit about instructors and faculty, but our centers are scheduled with degreed and nationally certified. So they're legit trainers and they have backgrounds in every niche that you can think of in the fitness area. So anybody that walks in that door can walk out with a program designed specifically for them, depending on their goals.

Very impressive. And yes, walking in the weight room fitness center, talking to your trained staff and knowing that they are always in there when the facility is open is another added benefit to the general student body. So hopefully more students take advantage of that and that would be a good problem to have.

Do you think that the centers, do they need to be staffed? Because you see other places that have 24 hour availability and obviously we're kind of constricted by having hours where we can staff them. Do you see that as something that may be down the road with a rec center or something else that could be open? Because at least with students and student athletes, they have a little different schedules than, you know, say a 9 to 5.

I think it's an option to explore. I would Always err on the side of caution, just for liability and safety and not having somebody in there. And also, like I said, the trained staff ensures that safety and ensures that they're doing exercises correctly. And if they're not, they're there to correct them.

So what about, like, the fitness center, where it's just machines?

Not a bad idea. But there's still always that chance of getting hurt because we have occasionally, not often, knock on wood, have had a few people step off the back of a treadmill or something.

That's why they got that safety rope on it.

That's why they're supposed to be wearing their safety clips. Yes.

Those would be good videos.

Yeah. Bloopers and practical jokes. Yeah.

It happens more frequently than we realize. You see a share of treadmill accidents online nowadays from people not paying attention, but that's a good question, Steven, and I even struggle with that answer. And, you know, is a student worker enough to supervise a room? Yeah, they can check people in and out, but there's a lot of other factors to play into that with the physical exertion that is going on. Do you have student workers that help manage that, or.

So we do. I have awesome student workers that work really hard in there. They're not there to train people, but like you said, they welcome them. They help them check in. If there's any filing of homework or paperwork that needs to be done for our enrolled students, they help with that. And honestly, they really help keep our facilities clean. And when we meet and train, that's the one thing that they're always taught. There is never fitness center that is ever too clean, and they take pride in that. And so our centers are super clean, and we get lots of compliments on that. So that goes. A lot of that goes out to those student aides.

Are most of those kinesiology majors or are they just.

You know, I have a good mix. I have a mix of kinesiology students. I have student athletes, and I have general students. And what's neat about it is the socialization, because you meet a lot of different people that walk through that door, and they create friendships on campus. And that's the cool thing for those students.

Well, another program we have, and we'll get back to hhs, but the massage program is a very intriguing program that I know Coach Cutter has talked to your staff about developing a partnership there. And the other neat thing about HHS is the resources they provide to the college and community, as students can go in and participate in massages or teeth cleaning and Just the nice services that offer a practical experience for our students and give a good, you know, experience for the people studying those majors. So want to explain a little any more about those programs or.

Sure, yeah. We have the massage clinic which depending on what semester, what level they are as students, you can get a very low priced massage. Same with our dental clinic. Very low price for those that just need kind of basic dental needs. But we have, we've talked about partnering, starting like a pilot program with the baseball team and our massage students. Students and seeing what we can do. And is that pre game, is that post game? What is that going to look like for those massage therapies and those athletes and how can we help?

And coaches.

Oh, and coaches, I'm sure stress levels. So that would be helpful for them as well.

And coaches and administration of the department too.

I think you have to show up a couple times.

No, that's just awesome though. Just stuff like that that is here on campus that probably a nice enough people don't know about. And you know, the intriguing thing to me about HHS is how visible they are in our community. I mean when you go to a local hospital, how many nurses are from LCC or just the impact that these programs have on our local community. Are most of your students from this area or do you draw farther out?

You know, that's a good question too. We actually draw from all over. I used to think it was pretty local, but we get students that come from Northern Michigan, Southern Michigan, a few out of state because our programs are known across the state of Michigan and nationally. So we do get a variety of students from all over.

Yeah. And again, knowing our student athlete and EMS or nursing and the rigors of those programs and the structure that provide them to be successful when they complete that here at LCC. All right, let's talk World Cup. Mari, you follow the word? We're taping this while the World Cup's going on. Do you follow it at all?

I sadly have to say soccer has not been an interest of mine until now. My 11 year old daughter is playing because she's refusing to play basketball and we think that's because her dad and I played. So she's choosing soccer just to be the different one in the family and that's fine. So we're learning a lot about the sport, but I can't talk about the World Cup.

Well, I'm going to talk about it because you brought up a point earlier and Steven and I already have talked about this is cleanliness. I don't know if either any of you have seen, and I know Steven already talked about this, but Japan, something we emphasize in our athletic program is respect. Respect for yourself, for your teammate, for the sport, for the official, for your facility. And one of the most telling stories I saw in the last week was Japan's soccer team, how clean they leave the locker room when they're done and their fans clean the stadium when the game is over. They garbage bags and go around and clean the stadium, but their soccer team, the locker room is immaculate and then they leave like some cultural gifts or, you know, they look like birds. I'm embarrassing myself to know what they're called. But just an impressive display. And you talk about how clean our fitness centers are. Origami. Thank you, Dadalion. Always good to have a producer on hand to help you out.

You think that if that's one of your standards that the stands are going to be a lot cleaner because you know that you're cleaning them after the game. So don't you think that factors in a little bit, you know, because people are more going to be more apt to, you know, throw stuff down. I mean, you've talked about, you've cleaned up Michigan State's football stadium after games and stuff, but I bet there's a lot less trash that they're actually picking up just because that's a standard.

Good point. And it's a good standard. So still impressive. But yes, I do agree that people probably are more conscientious when they're in that facility, knowing that particular team is taking care of the facility when you're done. As you mentioned, one of my most eye opening experiences for my kids, NHS experience. You had to go on Sunday and clean Michigan State's stadium. And that is one of the most challenging things I've done and made me and my kids appreciate picking up after themselves when they go to athletic events. But just also important in life, just, you know, going down the hallways of each building and if you miss something that you pick it up and throw it away and not thinking someone else is going to do it. You know, we have a lot of students that this is their first time away from home and their parents aren't there to pick up after themselves. But you know, again, one of the impressive things I've learned in my short time here at the LCC is how clean the buildings are. So I won't get World cup predictions or you know, talk about the US but looking over the last week, that was one of my favorite stories in the sports world all right. Well, again, Mari, we really appreciate you joining us today and in all you do for HHS and our student athletes. It's only the beginning, we hope, of greater things and we're off to a great start. As you mentioned, half of our programs are working with you and we want that to grow even bigger and for our students to learn about the resources that are available through HHS and kinesiology. I'm a kinesiology major and at the growing and vast field and becoming more specific in the topic they're developing. So again, we know you're a busy person and we do appreciate you taking the time today and all the time you have given us the work with us in our athletic department.

Well, thank you. Thank you both for having me. And Steven is quite the salesperson, I have to say, about how I was perfect choice, so how could I say no to that?

Stars on Sports Outro: Stars on Sports is recorded live at the WLNZ studios. Engineering and production assistance are provided by Daedalian Lowry. You can listen to this episode and other episodes of Stars on Sports on demand at LCCconnect.org to find more information about our athletic program, visit LCCstars.com thanks for listening. Go Stars!