As spring approaches, it is time to roll out the red carpet for spring sports. But it is also time for fall and winter sports to continue practice. It’s no secret that during the season, sports are time-consuming. But does the madness continue year-round?
Offseason is undoubtedly more relaxed than the taxing regular seasons of St. Olaf sports, but the term may be somewhat of an illusion.
“I’m never really offseason and I think most athletes would not say they’re offseason either,” soccer player Harry Ullmann ‘13 said. “Anyone who actually wants to be good or who stands out, there’s never actually an offseason for them.”
For some sports, this means intense training year-round. The typical “offseason” for football players consists of lifting weights every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, plus running early on Tuesday mornings and during community time on Thursdays. According to first-year football player Lordson Jonassaint, these activities are required, and “lifting is strongly suggested because if you don’t lift, you won’t get stronger.” This level of commitment seems on par with expectations of other sports.
Soccer player Jack Pueringer ‘13 said, “We have to keep in shape, so some kind of workout every day or every other day.”
Offseason practices and activities seem to be strongly suggested, but there is a definite subscript hinting that they are required, especially for some sports.
The pressure to attend offseason activities varies between athletes, yet all agree that the stakes are not as high as during the season. Some describe the pressure as internally motivated. Their reasons for attending offseason activities include wanting a starting position or getting stronger. Others are more externally motivated by teammates and captains who hassle them to attend, although this type of pressure seems to be more of a joke than a serious threat.
When asked if she felt pressure to attend offseason events, women’s track athlete Mary Swiggum ‘13 said, “Yeah, but I’ll also feel comfortable if I did have a conflict.”
During the official season, missing a practice might be scrutinized, yet coaches and captains are more lenient during the offseason.
Most athletes agreed that offseason training is crucial to success. While this doesn’t necessarily mean actually playing the sport, it does mean keeping in shape year-round or even getting stronger during the offseason.
“We have to have an offseason,” Ullmann said. “If you want to actually keep playing next year you need to keep doing stuff and be involved in your sport.” This might mean completing workouts provided by trainers, attending practices and even joining intramural sports.
Although athletes may not get much of a physical break during the offseason, they do have a break from constant commitment. Practices are usually shortened and more flexible, allowing more time for other activities.
“It’s a lot easier to do stuff and go out on the weekends and you have more time for homework,” Pueringer said. Others mentioned that without having to travel for tournaments, they are given more free time on the weekends to socialize.
For some, this means less team bonding and more branching out. “I still get together with them when we have our practices and say hi when I see them, but besides that I don’t really hang out with them as much,” Jon Aga ’13 said, a member of the club ultimate Frisbee team.
wilsonbr@stolaf.edu
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