Bridgewater, Va. – Although it is not required, most Bridgewater College athletic teams participate in at least one act of community service during their season. There have been several teams this year who have made efforts to give back to their community in some way. 

Over the summer, the BC swim team had Zoom meetings with all of the team leaders to discuss their goals and desires for the upcoming season. 

Junior Amanda Nesselrodt, who competes in backstroke events, has been wanting to implement more community service efforts into her team since her freshman year and thought this would be the perfect year to do so. 

“There’s absolutely nothing normal about this season, and with restricted practice times, and our large freshman class, coach and I thought it would be a great time to give back to the community,” said Nesselrodt.

Nesselrodt, as well as her fellow team leaders, challenged their team to participate in one act of community service every month in order to fulfill their team values.

The team has twelve words that represent their core values, including gratitude and service, and their goal was to use several acts of community service throughout the year to show those values.

Head coach Gwynn Harrison feels that the recruiting process for prospective students is very important, and thought it would be a good idea for her team to help out with making the main athletic building on campus look extra nice for visitors.

Harrison contacted the campus grounds keepers and organized time for her team to help mulch around Nininger Hall, which concluded their volunteer initiative for the month of September.

Nesselrodt saw how excited her team was while they were landscaping and saw it as a great opportunity to feed off of that motivation and continue to help out the community.

In October, the team helped out with a local club swim team, and they plan to volunteer at the Bridgewater Retirement Community in November.

Harrison explained that the team does not always have to participate in huge initiatives, but as long as they involve themselves in some kind of community service every month, whether it is the whole team or just a small group, she will be satisfied with their efforts.