Freddy Sion
Staff Writer '19
The February break is, for many students, a chance to rest and recover before the stressful months that are crawling forward. For athletes, however, the February break is an opportunity to prepare for the upcoming spring sports season. In order to lighten the amount of preparations needed to excel during the sports season, many junior and senior athletes begin exercising well before the season actually starts to ensure themselves maximum efficiency and performance between their athletics and schoolwork. Daniel Amar, a captain of the Boys Spring Track team during the 2016 spring season, was able to effectively accomplish his goals under the pressure of being a junior.
To prepare for the upcoming season last year, Daniel would “run 2-3 times a week,” during the break, so that he was “ready for Spring Track when it was finally time.” Also, he mentioned that “the preparation for doing well during track really comes from the hard work in Cross Country and Winter Track,” truly emphasizing the demand for preparing beforehand when in a sport. Using these strategies, Daniel Amar was able to successfully achieve his goal of finishing “4th place in the County Championship for the 800m event,” and still succeeding in preparing for his future. However, on the contrary with most seniors, Daniel admitted that “college stress, at least for me has been non existent,” which proves that if you are able to prepare in an effective matter as Daniel did, there is no reason to be stressed.
Matthew Weinstein, this year’s senior captain of the track team, is hoping to participate in this year's spring season. Between leading the violin section in Mr. Rutkowski’s orchestra, Cross Country, Winter Track, and college applications, Matthew definitely needs every minute he can salvage in his off-seasons. Matthew says that in order to perform his best, he will “remain in contact with my coach during the off-season,” and will “meet up with other members of the team and do weight training, or work with Coach Mahler to improve flexibility and core-strength.” Matthew had also stated that to minimize stress, his advice was to “treat extracurriculars as a break from the hard work you do in school,” as it would “release any of the stress or "busy-ness" of the day.” Taking these steps has really allowed Matthew to succeed as a student, and as an athlete, allowing him to succeed as an upperclassman preparing for his future, and an athlete leading his team.
What is evident in both these athletes, however, is that through proper preparation and mental strategies, they were each able to overcome the stress of being an upperclassman athlete, succeeding in their athletics and academics.
Staff Writer '19
The February break is, for many students, a chance to rest and recover before the stressful months that are crawling forward. For athletes, however, the February break is an opportunity to prepare for the upcoming spring sports season. In order to lighten the amount of preparations needed to excel during the sports season, many junior and senior athletes begin exercising well before the season actually starts to ensure themselves maximum efficiency and performance between their athletics and schoolwork. Daniel Amar, a captain of the Boys Spring Track team during the 2016 spring season, was able to effectively accomplish his goals under the pressure of being a junior.
To prepare for the upcoming season last year, Daniel would “run 2-3 times a week,” during the break, so that he was “ready for Spring Track when it was finally time.” Also, he mentioned that “the preparation for doing well during track really comes from the hard work in Cross Country and Winter Track,” truly emphasizing the demand for preparing beforehand when in a sport. Using these strategies, Daniel Amar was able to successfully achieve his goal of finishing “4th place in the County Championship for the 800m event,” and still succeeding in preparing for his future. However, on the contrary with most seniors, Daniel admitted that “college stress, at least for me has been non existent,” which proves that if you are able to prepare in an effective matter as Daniel did, there is no reason to be stressed.
Matthew Weinstein, this year’s senior captain of the track team, is hoping to participate in this year's spring season. Between leading the violin section in Mr. Rutkowski’s orchestra, Cross Country, Winter Track, and college applications, Matthew definitely needs every minute he can salvage in his off-seasons. Matthew says that in order to perform his best, he will “remain in contact with my coach during the off-season,” and will “meet up with other members of the team and do weight training, or work with Coach Mahler to improve flexibility and core-strength.” Matthew had also stated that to minimize stress, his advice was to “treat extracurriculars as a break from the hard work you do in school,” as it would “release any of the stress or "busy-ness" of the day.” Taking these steps has really allowed Matthew to succeed as a student, and as an athlete, allowing him to succeed as an upperclassman preparing for his future, and an athlete leading his team.
What is evident in both these athletes, however, is that through proper preparation and mental strategies, they were each able to overcome the stress of being an upperclassman athlete, succeeding in their athletics and academics.