While participating in a sport during high school is fun and filled with good people, it’s also a constant stream of both physical and mental work that takes its toll. So, when they finally have a chance to take a break, how do student athletes choose to spend it?
Preparing for the next season, focusing on academics, and participating in other extracurricular activities are just some of the many ways athletes spend the off-season.
Training can happen anytime, almost anywhere. Noah Matke, a senior on the boys varsity diving team, mentioned that “going on the trampoline helps a lot.” He practices his flips on his friend’s trampoline when he doesn’t have access to a diving board.
For Matke, there is also an optional summer camp that helps with do some maintenance work for the winter season. Then, the preseason training acclimates divers back to the practice mindset, but for Matke, it doesn’t quite feel real until that first day of practice.
On the other hand, Annika Trehan, a varsity cross country and track runner in her junior year, is constantly running. The accessibility of the sport means that that training doesn’t have to be as coordinated either. Trehan said that in the winter, when she can’t run at scheduled times, “will just go home and do it after in [her] neighborhood” to keep in shape until the track season starts in spring.
Cross country also runs a summer camp where runners meet and run at Swallow Cliff trails. On top of that, there are also assigned/suggested workouts throughout the summer, so there is more coach-directed training during the off-season in cross country in comparison to dive.
Despina Karanastasis, a junior, also participates in two sports: Swim in the fall and Water Polo in spring. Usually, she joins a club team in the winter and part of summer, where she continues to swim and compete without school affiliation, to stay in shape. However, this year she has decided to focus on preparing for the ACT in the winter break between swim and water polo.
As for the rest of summer, she goes to Greece every year, visiting family and friends. While there’s plenty of access to water, the open sea is much different than the straight lanes she’s used to. There, for a moment, she truly gets a break. “But by the end of it, you do realize that you do like doing what you do, and you do miss it and you want to go back,” Karanstasis explained.
Karanstasis also mentioned that she notices her grades increase slightly in the off-season, a testament to how much time a sport takes up. Less hours working out means more hours are available to study. So, the off-season also allows students to catch up and refocus academically. This year for her especially, these hours will be spent on ACT prep.
Similarly, the abundance of available time lets students commit to other extracurricular activities.
Trehan, for example, can dedicate herself more fully to STEM Club, the club she cofounded this year. “Just being able to make it to every meeting and devote more and more time to actually being there for our members is something that I’m really fortunate [for],” she said. Additionally, she is on the Speech team, and she competes during the winter.
Matke also enjoys performing in his free time, but for him that comes in the form of theater. He will often partake in Sandburg’s theater productions, and is looking forward to the spring musical this year.
It seems that even though it’s called off-season, most student athletes aren’t truly “off” for that period of time. But why?
For these athletes, it’s about fulfillment. In Matke’s case, the musical is a great way to fill his time in the spring—not just because he’s not doing anything else, but because it’s fun.
Trehan also commented that when she’s busy, it’s because she’s “trying to get that satisfaction that [she] gets out of running.”
Karanstasis agreed that being involved helps to fight boredom. Constantly looking to be a part of something isn’t the consequence of some external pressure, it’s a search for a greater sense of self.
Though the off-season is usually thought of as a break, it doesn’t mean it always is. While these athletes recharge their energy for their sport, they still stay involved, showing commitment to other aspects of life.
It’s truly impressive how student athletes manage full schedules and still maintain balance, because as nice as the off-season may be, they’ll always come back for more.
