New: HomeSport for students and staff
University Sports available in online videos
If you browse the web, you can find countless different home workouts. Why not offer University Sports online as well? Guido Köstermeyer, head of FAU University Sports, had the same idea, and collaborated with his colleagues to make sports courses available online for students and staff at FAU.
Toilet roll pilates and dance courses in your living room
On YouTube you can find a huge range of strength-building exercises and training units you can do from the convenience of your own home. That is what inspired me to find a way to offer University Sports courses for people at home as well. Whilst football or other team sports are not suitable, yoga or pilates certainly are. Several sports instructors rose to the challenge and filmed themselves doing exercises, which they then posted on StudOn under the HomeSport category. The results are impressive, with courses on offer including calisthenics, stretching, Charleston dancing and even pilates with toilet rolls.
University Sports with a difference
It goes without saying that HomeSport is different from the normal courses offered by University Sports. For instance, if participants have difficulties with the exercises, there is no-one they can turn to for help. In an attempt to tackle this problem, we have set up a page on StudOn giving some helpful hints and tips for the HomeSport exercises. The instructors also explain the exercises very clearly and in great detail in the videos. We admit that the videos may not be exceptionally professional, but we were more concerned with getting HomeSport up and running as quickly as possible. It is an entirely new way for you to experience FAU University Sports. The instructors recorded the videos themselves in their own homes, a true sign of dedication which I would explicitly like to take this opportunity to thank them for again.
HomeSport in test phase
The HomeSport courses are currently in the test phase. It is the first time that we have offered courses online and it is completely new territory for us as well. We would really appreciate any suggestions for improvement. We are not yet sure how well the courses have been received and how many people are taking advantage of them. If there is not much interest, then it was at least worth a try. However, if a lot of people join in, then we could consider offering HomeSport in the future as well, tailoring the range of courses on offer accordingly.
The courses are available now to all students and staff at FAU. The course can be accessed in StudOn on the University Sport page. You can log in using your IdM account.