With the fall season coming to an end and the winter sports season looming, students reflect on what they did in the past couple of months to prepare for the indoor season. Whether they were getting physically ready for the sport or mentally preparing for the next couple of cold months, they worked to fulfill their future goals.
While many students play fall sports, there are many others who have dedicated their time in order to be in their best shape for their main sports in the winter and spring. The men’s indoor track team in particular has been very successful the last couple of years, being crowned Group 2 indoor state champions just last year.
Senior Baxter Clark of the track team has dedicated his past few months to becoming a better jumper and possibly becoming a college athlete.
“The past couple of months even though I had been sick for a bit of it, I have been in the gym and on the track getting myself ready for the track season. It’s good to get a head start because the winter season is pretty hard and feels like it lasts forever,” Clark said.
In order to be a well-rounded athlete, Clark tailors his workouts to help strengthen his abilities on the track.
“I do a lot of front squats and hex bar deadlifts because they help with leg strength and are a crucial part of jumping high and far. I also focus on hip mobility and flexibility workouts which I recommend to any athlete in order to prevent injury,” Clark said.
Clark has been a part of the track team his entire high school career (winter and spring) and with that comes experience and advice for the younger students who are just starting out.
“If you are a younger athlete, use the time that you have to grow yourself as an athlete. Don’t be afraid to ask a coach for help and for help lifting. Before you know it you will be a senior and if you haven’t tried to do the things you wanted to then you will regret it,” Clark said.
On the other side of the spectrum, sophomore Yonatan Evar, a player on the basketball team, also focused on improving his skills with fall training.
“I’m a two-sport athlete. I play basketball in the winter and track in the spring but that doesn’t mean that I slack off during the fall. This past fall I spent a lot of time in the gym and doing speed-based training. I also really prioritized training a good sleep schedule because while physical conditioning is important, sleep determines how well you perform each day,” Evar said.
While Evar is only in his second year of high school, he already understands the commitment it takes to succeed and would like to pass down that knowledge to young up-and-coming athletes.
“Being an athlete takes commitment and discipline…If you want to see results you have to put in your 100% effort,” Evar said.
