When junior Brock Heath’s foot started hurting, he said that he tried to work through the pain. In reality, he said this overuse led to stress fractures that began to greatly affect his training for sports over the summer.
Heath is a three-sport athlete involved in football, basketball and track. His injury has limited his ability to prepare for the upcoming football season.
“Football is something I hold really dear to my heart,” Heath said. “Not being able to do something you love like that is really hard.”
Normally, Heath would be working on training with his team, doing agility sessions along with other workouts, but due to his fractured foot he cannot use his lower body and is limited to doing upper body exercises.
“I’ve gotten so weak and [it’s] almost like [my legs are] just asleep,” Heath said, “You have to do [physical therapy] after your [walking] boot is off just to get reactivated and awakened.”
An “offseason” is the time of year when a specific sport is not engaged, but many athletes participate in summer training to prepare for sports throughout the school year. Though it is their offseason, some athletes are encouraged to get stronger and stay in shape. This is often done through camps, summer practices and conditioning.
Senior Josie Grosdidier said it is important to get back to the fundamentals during the summer in order to get stronger. She said she wants to maintain her strength and skills by frequently doing conditioning and attending open gyms.
“I know it’s important to get in shape now [because] it’ll help me in the future,” Grosdidier said.
Recently, Grosdidier committed to Colorado Christian University to pursue an athletic career in basketball. She said summertime is essential for her to keep her skills intact for college.
“It’s definitely important to get those extra shots up and keep working so I am ready,” Grosdidier said.
Though some students feel their summer workouts are tiring, senior Amarah Qureshi said the summer workouts she does for BVNW cheer helps her prepare for state and to prevent injuries for state.
“[The exercises] make sure that we’re ready for the season because state is hard if you’re not in shape for it,” Qureshi said.
She also said she enjoys summer workouts because it allows them to see their friends and get their day started early.
According to head athletic trainer Christy Grimes, conditioning can be good but also hurtful in some cases. She said she thinks many athletes now are doing too much training and not enough resting which allows your body to heal to prevent injuries.
Grimes said she thinks it is important to incorporate stretching into an athlete’s routine because frequent bulking can lead to tight muscles.
“[Stretching] is something that usually makes you better again in the long run because your muscles and tendons are more flexible,” Grimes said.
Volleyball coach Molly Haggerty said that the summer workouts with her team are intense, but they are more about preparing them for the fall season and bringing them together.
“I struggle with [summer scheduling] a little bit with my [fellow] coaches in that we feel like we want to offer [the] intense schedule and workouts, the opportunity for our athletes to come together to emerge as leaders, [and] get to know each other over the summer to really show their commitment,” Haggerty said.
She went on and said that the summer sessions give students room for flexibility and allow the newer team members to become aware of what is expected of them.
“We encourage [recovery time] and we understand that kids need a break,” Haggerty said. Some students find that taking breaks and getting support from others is important for their mental health.
For example, Heath said he often has to work for long periods of time and it is sometimes difficult for them to stay motivated. He looks to his parents and teammates for support.
“What’s getting me through it is my parents and dad. . . even today he texted me like a whole long thing that the goal is not to play during the summer, like right now because obviously I’m gonna be backward from these. I can tell you that from the guys who go up to play in the summer that go to play on Sept. 1 or first game, so I can be there to help actually support the team win games, and so he just really likes to keep that in check,” Heath said.
Grosdidier and Qureshi agree that without these summer workouts they would become unmotivated and lose the strength they gain during the school year.
“ I think over the summer, our biggest goal is to get stronger and we do team workouts with basketball,” Grosdider said. “[Training] starts off my day [in a] good, positive way.
