Spring sports have been preparing and conditioning during their preseason since before Christmas break and now that most seasons have started they continue to condition and practice in preparation for their upcoming season. Despite some athletes still in winter sports, most spring sports are in full swing.

“We started doing conditioning on Wednesdays before Christmas to get our team in shape, then it became twice a week. Now since our season started last week, we practice everyday,” Junior Cecilia Baggett said.

Teams have been conditioning for quite some time now, before winter break to help get the athletes and players back in shape for their season. This is also a very valuable time to help new players learn the rules of the game and get to know their teammates.

“Starting early is beneficial because we have been able to create chemistry with our teammates, learn our new positions and where everyone works well on the field. It also gives us more practice time and time to prepare for the season in mid February,” Freshman Henry Patel said.

Learning where each player works well and their strengths is a big part of every sport and game. Staring in the preseason and getting extra training gives players and coaches an opportunity to create new skills and work on positions before their first game, match, or race in February.

“Our lacrosse team has a bunch of girls that are really interested to play, some girls are still doing other winter sports but we are able to get by as of right now,” junior Sara Beth Snyder said. “We have conditioned a lot and since January 20 we have practiced everyday of the week. Also we have and iPeriod which I really enjoy, it helps all of us be able to get extra practice in learning the rules of the game and also gets the girls in winter sports involved.”

Some teams have the opportunity to incorporate iPeriods, and during this time coaches get to meet new players as well as do fun activities like communication drills which are valuable on and off the field.

“Since lacrosse is a sport that requires a lot of running and endurance, it [conditioning] has helped us and will continue to help us, as well as learning and getting comfortable with stick skills, these are all crucial parts of the game that need to be taught. Having a month in advance to prepare has helped,” Snyder said.