Erik Miller talks about the importance of physical education during the pandemic

Employee Spotlight: Erik Miller HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER AND STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH

By: Allison Hall

Q&A

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During the spring semester as students participated in distance learning, one important element of education, physical education, was not forgotten due to the efforts of Mr. Erik Miller.

What is your role and how long have you been at Malvern?

I am the Health and Physical Education Teacher for Middle School, and I am also the Strength & Conditioning Coach for Malvern Prep. I’ve been at Malvern for 17 years. I started in the library, believe it or not, and after four years a Phys. Ed. position opened up. That was really what I wanted to do, and I’ve been doing that ever since.

How did you hold students accountable during the COVID-19 pandemic?

I would add a workout on the Strength & Conditioning Facebook page. For the students in my class, their assignment was to do the workout. When we met as a class, we would go over the workout and general warm exercises. I also used a program called TeamBuilder. This was an app the students would put on their phones to follow the workouts. They would record their score in the app. Also, they completed a post-workout questionnaire. I also recommended to them that after each meal they go for a 10-minute walk.

Have you heard from people other than students that have started doing the workouts?

I have heard from people, including a good number of alumni that would post their scores and were really engaged. I was surprised really by how many people were doing the workouts. What is your favorite aspect of your role at Malvern?

Just being with the kids and seeing them grow and improve from year to year. One of the unique advantages I have is that I see them come in as 6th graders and I can continue to work with them even after they finish Middle School—it’s really neat to see them grow from 6th grade to 12th grade. More than anything else I want our guys to walk away with knowing the importance of staying fit. mp

Malvern Athletes Adapt and Overcome During a Unique Spring Season

The Spring of 2020 brought an interesting adjustment for our spring athletes. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all spring sports seasons were canceled. Our teams continued to work hard and stay connected throughout the pandemic, and we heard from some of our coaches and athletes how it happened. “I’ve been communicating and sharing virtual workouts with the Ice Hockey team using the TeamSnap app. They also utilized the Dryland Workout Series, which helps each athlete self-monitor his progress.” – Bill Keenen, Ice Hockey Coach “The Wrestling team was communicating regularly throughout the spring via Zoom, and they are encouraged to stay in shape with weekly workouts and keeping their minds and bodies healthy by participating in YOD Yoga, virtual yoga sessions.” – Nate Lautar ‘98, Wrestling Coach “I spent time lifting six days a week, which included four main lifts, plyos, and speed training. For football training, we made platoons with the team and participated in competitions and workouts with Coach [Erik] Miller via the HUDL program.” – Cole Deery ‘21 “For the Rowing team, I took the spring training plan and tweaked it slightly to implement on the erg machines. This included reducing the overall frequency of ergs, the number of, and the intensity of the intervals the boys would do. Through a weekly workout plan, we communicated emails and group texts, and all workouts and results were posted and collected via a shared Google Sheet.” – Andrew Madden, Rowing Coach “At the beginning of quarantine, the lacrosse players participated in a burpee challenge where everyone did 100 burpees a day and had to text in our group chat when they were completed.” – Cooper Frankenheimer ‘21 “I communicated with the Track & Field team throughout the spring via weekly emails. This included checking in, but also sharing workouts for the team to complete. Throughout the summer I sent the Cross Country team a training schedule broken down by experience level.” – Mike Koenig, Cross Country, and Track & Field Coach “The Football team met regularly on Zoom to prepare for the fall. They also worked out in platoons to complete various athletic challenges and workouts. In addition to Coach Erik Miller’s strength and conditioning workouts, the Football team competed in the Houston Texans Offensive Line Challenge.” – Dave Gueriera, Football Coach The Water Polo team had check-in meetings via Zoom throughout the spring. Also, they used the Kap7 website for virtual workouts. The Swimming & Diving team worked on their strength and conditioning throughout the spring with GoSwimTV and Swim Outlet’s Instagram page. mp