Fall sport athletes put in the work during their summer break for the most successful season. 

Coach Daniel Appelbaum anticipates that soccer workouts will follow the same schedule this summer.

“Soccer is Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 8-9:30 a.m., and then after we went to Watson workouts for about an hour and a half. Some days we would condition, but a lot of the days were skills like shooting, or penalty kicks, and corner kicks,” sophomore Ava Brawley said. 

Football practices take up more of the players’ time. Coach Justin Boser anticipates the same structure. 

“Our summer practices are Monday through Friday. Every Monday through Thursday we lift for 1 hour and 30 minutes, and then we head outside to practice on the field. On Fridays, we have optional speed training with Watson, but if we want to have a role on varsity, it is important to show up because varsity is way more sped up, and speed and shiftiness is important,” freshman Davion Jones said.

Summer break is usually a time for rest and relaxation, so it can be hard for athletes to stay motivated during the early mornings.

“I stay motivated because I am happy to be training with my hard-working teammates. After workouts, our team goes to a room to learn the focus of our training session for that day. Then, we go out to the fields and train. We just try to have a good time throughout all of it,” sophomore Zeigen Mahachanh, soccer player, said. 

Junior Keegan Lane, tennis player,  also appreciates his friends and teammates who keep him going. 

“I really just love playing with my friends, and that helps keep me motivated. It is hard for me to wake up early, but once I am up, I am good. We like to play frisbee and basketball after workouts on Fridays. It is just a fun way to end our week,” Lane said. 

Football players spend a lot of time with each other during practice and even more outside of it. 

“I stay motivated because of the coaches that push me, especially Mr. Watson and Coach Boser. They wake up every morning for us so the least I could do is show up and give effort at practices. My love for the sport is too strong for me to take any days off. Football is my life, and I love being with my team. Our team is always involving each other in outer activities, like eating lunch or dinner. Maybe after practice, we will all meet at a summer fair and just do fun activities like that,” Jones said. 

Tough love keeps sophomore Victoria Ortman motivated during the summer.

“Watson motivates me because if I don’t show he calls me lazy. He wants me to fulfill my potential and that keeps me going,” Ortman said. 

Summer workouts highlight different skills and workouts compared to regular season.

“In our summer weight lifting sessions, we train with more intensity than while we are in season since there are no games to be played with sore muscles. In our training sessions during the summer, we do conditioning to make sure we have enough endurance for the upcoming season,” Mahachanh said. 

Cross country follows the same rules. 

“We practice three times a week for two hours. Afterward, we went to weights with Watson for about an hour. Twice a week we do workouts like hills and mile repeats, and once a week we do a long run. Summer workouts are a lot more workout-based, but the regular season is a little more laid-back. They are not as intense and not as long,” sophomore Lily Rollings, cross country runner, said.