By Luke Wood
Junior Olivia Page leads the girls soccer team through their run around the school on Wednesday, Jan. 26.
Winter conditioning in progress for spring sports
Student athletes prepare for the spring season through conditioning and workouts offered
Gearing up for spring sports, student athletes are putting in the work to get ready for the season. Spring sport coaches create workout plans and help lead their athletes throughout their conditioning. Some spring sports that have started conditioning include, girls soccer, track, softball, and baseball. Preseason conditioning is a time for student athletes to not only get stronger and physically prepared, but to also begin building relationships with team members.
Each sport has times and days that they meet to condition. Girls soccer meets after school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for about an hour. Conditioning for girls soccer began just after Thanksgiving break and continues up until tryouts. During this time, the girls complete workout circuits and running and focus on building strength.
Sophomore Kate Ricker, a student who attends soccer conditioning, enjoys getting to bond and workout with teammates.
“What I’ve liked most about conditioning so far is just being with my teammates and working hard,” Ricker said. “We all get to be together as a team, and work out and become stronger with each other.”
Also starting after Thanksgiving break was track conditioning. Track conditioning meets Monday through Friday after school and Saturday at 9:00am where conditioning lasts anywhere from an hour to two hours. During this time, athletes run, do short sprint exercises to maintain speed and focus on posterior chain, glutes, and mobility in the weight room.
Head track coach Chris McAfee sees many benefits in providing the opportunity for student athletes to participate in preseason conditioning.
“Running is one of those things you just have to do consistently in order to be better and improve [at]and so, for us, it definitely helps us be better prepared for the season and, I think, overall, it also helps us prevent a lot of injuries,” McAfee said.
Another spring sport, softball, began its conditioning just after winter break. They meet on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Mondays and Thursdays are usually around an hour and a half, while Wednesdays are an hour. Conditioning is spent focusing on body stability as well as speed and jumping.
Sophomore Elly VanRheen notices that during her softball conditioning it is a time to get to know her teammates better.
“It’s also a team builder on top of just getting strong so you can meet all the new freshmen and just be around each other,” Vanrheen said.
Baseball, another spring sport, has been holding conditioning since September for those who were not competing in a fall sport. Conditioning is Monday through Thursday for about 45 minutes. During conditioning, baseball athletes focus on baseball specific lifts as well as yoga and running.
Sophomore Reid Livingston has been attending conditioning since September and feels it has been beneficial for the strength aspect of baseball, but also the bonding part of baseball as well.
“[Conditioning] allows me to get stronger as well as get my body ready for the season,” Livingston said. “Building better relationships with my teammates [has been a favorite part of conditioning].”
As Spring sports continue to creep up fast, athletes are preparing themselves for a successful season through conditioning offered as well as witnessing the benefits of getting to know their teammates better.