After the school season ends, athletes still need to stay in shape during their off-season.
Whether they choose to play for a club team, play a different version of their sport, or go into a completely different sport altogether, there are many different options to choose from during their off-season.
One of the most common ways that athletes practice during their time off is by continuing to play their sport outside of school for a club.
However with the differences between club teams and Creek teams it can create a very different playing and learning experience. “Club coaches really don’t care about how you feel at practice, whereas Creek coaches seem more down to earth,” junior tennis player Elliot Depew said. “Especially Coach Zuercher, he’s not just a tennis coach, he’s also a mentor.”
Club sports can also pose some challenges that don’t exist for high school sports due to the difference in each of their focuses.
“I would say Creek tennis is more fun because you’re around people with the same values as you,” Depew said. “For your club is very individual, there’s no other teammates, and there’s not a team.”
With the extra challenges posed by playing for a club, some athletes make the decision of starting away from playing for a club. Instead, some choose to play a different variation of their sport.
Senior soccer player Kiran Sitaula went down that path by joining an indoor 6v6 soccer league for the winter. With the league only having 20 minute halves, fewer players, and a smaller field it helps train different aspects of the game than a regular season.
“Cardio is really key to soccer, and especially on a small field, you get tired out quicker,” Sitaula said. “Even people who’ve been playing and are in great shape have said the same thing, so I think it’s just a good way to really work on my conditioning.”
Doing something outside of club or school can also add a bigger sense of freedom and fun into the sport.
“A group of friends, they thought it’d be a fun idea to get some of us together and create this team and just play, kind of like for fun, recreationally,” Sitaula said.
For some sports, however, it’s not easy to find something else to do during the off-season, so some people opt for playing a different sport instead.
Trying to balance both sports and school can be very challenging and time consuming for athletes “During the season, both sports can get pretty hectic and sometimes it’s a bit hard to balance sports and school,” senior lacrosse and field hockey player Grace Manning said.
Playing a sport that isn’t your main sport can be useful for getting into shape and prepared for your main sport later on.
“Field hockey is a fall sport so it keeps me very well rounded to be prepared for lacrosse in the spring.” Manning said.
Whatever it is that an athlete does do during their off-season, a similarity between most is consistently going to the gym.
“Over the summer that’s when I would also try to go to the gym when possible,” Sitaula said. “Lifting during the season and also keeping up with all your schoolwork is hard.”
Staying fit during the off-season can be hard for athletes so it’s important for them to find something that could help them.
“If you’re not working on your physical health, once the Creek season comes, you’re not gonna do well,” Depew said.” So you have to be very disciplined and have responsibility for your own.”
