With winter sports standing out this season like wrestling, basketball and swimming, participating in these sports as a high schooler can be the foundation for building an athletic career path in the future. However, in the midst of focusing on winter sports, a question can be raised. What about the fall sports? What are the kids who play fall sports doing? The GH Falcon sat down with fall sport student athletes to discuss who wishes to take their sports career to the next level and how athletes can prepare for the future while being off-season.
Training for fall sports like volleyball is intense in terms of its focus on agility, speed and endurance. Some things that high school volleyball athletes can do to advance their careers include participating in private clubs or lessons in the winter and spring seasons. Srinidhi Kannan (‘28), a student athlete on the Green Hope volleyball team, stated, “In the off-season, I usually do private lessons with my club coaches and workouts at home, as well as the gym to keep myself in that same state.” Other students who were asked what they do in the meantime similarly stated that the most efficient thing for them is making sure they attend private lessons that focus on individual skill. Taking the time to focus on personal training, this aids in advancing how well one performs with others in a team.
Along with engaging in outside sports activities to improve skillsets, one’s mindset plays an important role in how far one can take their athletic career. Having a growth mindset and deep passion pushes one to become the best they can be. Srinidhi added, “I think specific characteristics that help players reach athletic careers are grit and smart work. As most athletes would say, grit and determination is the key to success. I also think it’s working on the small things and going back to the basics when going through a rough patch.” For her, these personal characteristics allow her to aim to play at an efficient collegiate level after graduation.
The question of how and what athletes can do when in other seasons to prepare for their own stretches way beyond the walls of Green Hope, and can be applied to other students in the same position. The GH Falcon sat down with Violet Lutz (‘28), a sophomore on the varsity tennis team at Athens Drive High School, to discuss her path during other seasons to becoming a better tennis player. When asked about her mechanisms for improvement, she stated, “In the off-seasons, I take private lessons and go to the gym to improve for the next season.” Despite tennis training being different from volleyball, due to its centering around lower-body stability and core strength, both include similar methods for off-season training. She expressed that it encouraged her dedication to tennis after wanting to practice a new sport. Lutz later added, “I believe being open-minded can take you very far in a sport; you have to be open to criticism and tips from coaches and players in order to improve.” Having an open mindset with perseverance significantly improves a student’s attitude towards their sport, thus leading them to a better athletic career path.
Ultimately, when searching for advice on how to take one’s athletic career to the next level while being off-season, a combination of focusing on personal skills/techniques and being truly dedicated to the sport can be a key factor to becoming a successful athlete, no matter what obstacle comes in the way!
