By Shelby Harrell
“Somewhere in the world, someone is training when you are not. Therefore, when you go up against them, they will win,” said professional athlete Tom Fleming. The Pilgrim Perspective knows that this will not be the case with the PHS spring athletes.
Sophomore Sommer McClellan said, “I am conditioning for softball, and I have been conditioning since November.” Softball is just one of the many different sports that spring athletes are conditioning for. Many other students are preparing themselves for track, golf, tennis, and baseball. Some athletes were asked what they must do in order to prepare themselves for their upcoming season. Sophomore Nate Kolter said, “To prepare for my season, I usually lift weights and just hit balls.”
Plymouth athletes told what they do to improve their mental strengths before they go on to their sport. Sophomore Nick Bayley said, “I like to practice and know what my strengths are.” Also on the subject, sophomore Ellen Smith said, “A lot of my mental preparation just comes from playing match after match of tennis. Tennis matches are not just a foot race, they are a marathon. Having mental endurance is just as important as having physical endurance.”
For athletes, a lot of mental endurance comes from knowing that they have done all of the hard work, and endured all of the tough practices. Students were also asked how many days they usually work out in one week. Sophomore Deborah Anders said, “I have been working out about two to three times a week, so whenever I get the chance.”
Streching before a big run, spring track athletes get warmed up and ready to go. Photo by: Shelby Harrell
Almost all professional athletes usually have some sort of special quote or inspirational story that they like to say to themselves before they go up to their big event. “Golf is played on a five inch course,” said Kolter, “That is the space between your ears.” “I have two of these quotes that I like to keep close,” said Anders. “One of them is ‘your toughness is made up of two parts; your persistence and your experience. You don’t so much as outrun your opponents, as you outlast them and outsmart them.’”
One of the most important things to have in athletics is a big end of the season goal. Whether it is to make it to conference, semi-state, or to even go all the way to state, nothing will get accomplished without a set goal. “Our team had a lot of good seniors last year,” said Smith. “We will have our challenges to fill their shoes as we play our season. We hope to win a lot of matches.” “My goal is to at least make it out of Sectionals, and make it onto Regionals.” said McClellan.
Along with making a goal for their sports season, athletes must have a logical plan in order to make that goal happen for themselves, or even the entire team. “I am going to be giving it my all during practice.” said Anders, “I want to be able to leave it all behind, and just run. I will be running 110 percent this year.” McClellan said, “ I plan to work hard, play hard, and also to practice hard.”
These are just some of the many very hard working students that are conditioning for their spring sports. The training that athletes have to endure to take their seasons to the next level is usually long, ongoing, and most of it takes place all year long.