While winter sports are now in full swing, many athletes preparing for spring sports face a range of options to prepare in advance for tryouts.
One notable example is boys soccer players, whose coaches have encouraged them to join winter track to get an advantage at tryouts.
“Doing track is better preparation because it’s much more extensive, as the coaches are there to help you with the technical aspects of running,” senior Kledi Mita said.
Boys soccer also has a mandatory conditioning period, while girls soccer has optional sessions that range in focus and frequency.
“We have extracurricular fitness we can do, but it’s not completely scheduled and regulated,” senior Samantha Newman said.
The difference sometimes stems from coaches’ availability.
“Our coach is a coach for a bunch of other soccer teams, so … she’s not too involved with our off-season process,” senior Meaghan O’Meara said.
Conditioning sessions offer a different focus than track does for soccer players, and are beneficial even to those athletes who are on track.
“These sessions are not merely just about running, they’re also focused on weight lifting and all other physical aspects of soccer,” Mita said.
Softball players have similar sessions available to them, but with only the weight room, they are unable to practice skills specific to the sport.
“It’s hard to practice for softball inside unless you have access to batting cages, warehouse facilities, etc,” sophomore Avani Casey said.
Softball’s conditioning period is not mandatory, but is recommended to improve reputation with the coaches.
“Coaches keep track of who goes to [conditioning sessions] and who doesn’t, so you look better if you go,” Casey said.
On girls soccer, lack of mandatory conditioning doesn’t hinder the team.
“[The coaches will] know if you’re fit throughout tryouts,” Newman said.
While it can be hard to fit conditioning into a busy schedule, athletes usually don’t have trouble finding a method that works for them.
“I would say I’m happy,” O’Meara said. “I think people have a good variety [of options] to choose from.”