One of the most common ways for athletes to elevate their skills in the off-season is by going through outside coaches and programs to focus specifically on their needs.
Placing 3rd in the State for the 100m dash is no easy accomplishment, and it definitely does not come without spending countless hours training in the off-season.
“I train with Hyperformance Athletic Development. The workouts they give me have not only helped improve my speed, but they have also emphasized keeping me healthy throughout the season to make sure I’m always at my best. Most of the workouts I do are for explosive work, which helps my acceleration. I also do treadmill workouts to increase my endurance,” junior Will Riley said.
Other track athletes take advantage of outside workouts, too.
“I go to DC Athletics for pole vaulting. We train at UIndy in the off-season with different practices and camps. All the work we put in helped me get a PR of 10’6” in my first ever season pole vaulting, so the work definitely pays off. We work a lot on weight training and back exercises to maintain flexibility while we’re vaulting,” junior Ben Riche said.
Track is not the only sport GHS athletes go to other programs for training.
“I play for a travel soccer team when the high school team isn’t in season. My team goes through SCSA, which is in Center Grove. It definitely helps me stay in shape over the winter and spring so that when I come back to high school soccer I don’t waste any time getting back into shape. We do a lot of shooting and passing drills. My ball skills and teamwork have gotten a lot better,” junior Ava Griffin said.
Another advantage of outside training is growth mentally as well as physically.
“I go to M14Hoops for basketball training, and my trainer’s name is Desean. Training here has really helped me gain confidence in my abilities and become more sound fundamentally. The things I work on the most are ball handling, shooting, and left handed finishing,” sophomore Eliana Anderson said.
This outside training comes with no shortage of time commitment and price.
“The prices of all the lessons I take are kind of high, and I definitely spend a lot of time on top of my already busy schedule at lessons, but I think it’s worth it for sure. When you see the results after training for so long, it makes you realize that it’s worth the time and money,” Riche said.
