Dear Sun Devils,
I hope you and your loved ones are staying healthy and safe during these unparalleled times. I appreciate the support many of you have shown whether it be through a call or text, a donation or engaging with Sun Devil Athletics online. Please know your unwavering commitment is what makes Sun Devil Nation so special and I am extremely proud of how this community has come together.
While we are all adjusting to our new daily routines, I want to assure you, our department's goals have not changed and our team has been extremely busy advancing our mission. We are focusing on providing guidance to our student-athletes, support to our coaches and staff, and encouragement to each other during these challenging times.
As soon as we received word athletic competitions were being canceled, our top priority was the health and well-being of our student-athletes. We assisted in securing flights for several student-athletes to return home to their families and have since provided many resources and guidance as they all adjust to online courses and remote training. We have a skeleton crew of staff who continue to come into the office to perform essential work functions. The nutrition staff provides meals for student-athletes who remain in Tempe, and our student-athlete development staff continues to be available to assist with their educational needs.
The coaches and support staff across all 26 sports are adapting to new ways of communicating with their teams and continue to be active in their recruiting efforts. Our strength and conditioning coaches are actively working on new ways to share at home training options and have provided workout accessories to student-athletes to assist in their remote efforts.
I could provide numerous other examples of how our staff remains dedicated to providing an elite student-athlete experience, but I also want to emphasize it is also a top priority for us to provide our fans with means to stay connected with us. We have launched a "Sun Devils At Home" landing page where there are entertainment resources, coloring activities for children, health and wellness suggestions and much more! Please visit thesundevils.com/athome to access the content and continue to engage with all of our programs through social media.
Buffie and I are so grateful to be a part of such a supportive community and we look forward to being able to connect in-person soon. Until then, stay healthy and safe and GO DEVILS.
Sincerely,
Ray Anderson