Senior Mac Tugwell and Junior Carter Buchanan jump to block a shot during a men’s volleyball game.
For many spring athletes, preparation for the season begins in the winter.
Athletes attend off-season workouts to refine their skills and do conditioning to prepare for the physical intensity of games.
According to junior volleyball player Jacob Feller, winter workouts have been a tool to help the team come together.
“Once you have preseason you’re a lot more prepared as a team going into your first tournament or game because you all already understand each other,” Feller said.
Extra time before games start helps the players get to know each other better and begin to mesh their playing style.
Not only does preseason training help team relationships, it also helps coaches make decisions about the team.
“It really gives coaches an opportunity to see how you work with yourself [and] with the people around you,” said junior soccer player Tinsley Johnson. “And it gives them an opportunity to see what you need help with and how to fix that before the beginning of the season.”
Spring athletes also have time to think about their goals for the season during winter training.
“I want to grow as an individual player, but also grow the team,” said sophomore soccer player Zawadi Owino. “We’re a really young team. So I think building confidence this season is super important.”
Men’s volleyball has also set high goals this season.
“We want to get to the state championship, and maybe win it,” said Feller.
The anticipation of the coming season brings lots of emotions for athletes.
“I definitely am excited,” said Owino. “I think nervous, too. Freshman year, you kind of have like a protective bubble around you but now that you’re not a freshman anymore, you feel like you have something to prove.”
The time commitment of a school sports season also weighs on athletes.
“I don’t do anything outside of school, sports, and sleeping,” said Feller.
“If you’re an AP student, you’re really crunching time with classes and setting up for AP exams on top of games every week and long practices,” said Johnson. “You have to keep your motivation up.”
Women’s soccer’s first home game is Wednesday versus Ravenscroft. Men’s volleyball’s first home game is March 4 versus Lexington Senior.
