Spring Sports Starting to Bloom

January 27, 2010  
Filed under Sports

Though two months remain until spring sports take flight, many Ottawa High School athletes are not taking the winter off. Instead, they continue to keep their bodies in shape by doing workouts several times a week.

Whether preparing for a season of track, soccer or football, conditioning is a great way to prepare your body for more vigorous practices and improve your overall fitness.  While conditioning, it is ideal to work on areas you struggle in, while also maintaining your stronger skills. For instance, if every season your hamstring gives you problems, then do exercises that improve the strength of this muscle to prevent a season on the bench.

Another key to conditioning is working on how you actually play the game. A softball player does not need to run 45 minutes every day. Instead, the athlete should work on sprinting, to increase speed, which is more beneficial to improving their game. However, an occasional distance workout is helpful in order to build up endurance.

By working hard year round, you will reap the benefits during the season. You will not struggle in intense practices to the same extent of teammates who took it easy during the off-season. You will already be ahead of the game and can concentrate on your skills rather than getting in shape.

“I like to condition so I am a step ahead and am ready for the season,” Erica Roberts, sophomore track and cross country runner, said.

After school, students from the soccer, track and football teams have been meeting to improve their overall fitness levels so they are in tip-top shape when the season rolls around. Although no actual plays or drills are being practiced, strength and endurance are very important parts of the game.

Even if your schedule does not allow time to attend these practices, that does not mean you cannot get in shape on your own. The football team meets a couple times a week, while the track and soccer teams meet every day. Baseball will begin conditioning very soon.

“On days I can’t make it to conditioning I do a variety of things at home. I live in the country so I run down the country roads. I also do squats and stuff with heavy objects lying around. And of course you can also do sit-ups and push-ups,” Cadence Ishmael, sophomore track and cross country runner, said.

To better yourself as an athlete, try your hardest to attend off-season practices, or workout at home to put you at the top of your game.

*These sports are meeting to get in shape before the season starts. The football team is also getting together to workout.

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Chelsea Jamison

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