For many, sports are a big deal, with practices every night, and games each week or weekend. The offseason requires athletes to keep training to make sure they’re ready for the next season, but how? 

     Sophomore Emily Cassidy cross-country runner and a member of the track team says that she trains in the comfort of her own home. “I’ve been doing my best to go on runs and work out consistently,” she claims. The environment you’re in also changes you athletically, “it’s difficult for me to keep a schedule,” Cassidy mentions.  

      She added that everybody has off days, and it’s practically impossible to be training all day every day. Cassidy said she would, “much rather be eating snacks all day and staying on the couch.”  

     For Cassidy, her teammates and coaches are her motivation to do her best and be the best that she can be. Cassidy says that, “it’s definitely harder to train without my coach and team.” She adds that, “there isn’t much motivation without them (teammates) and we always shared workout plans. Now that I’m on my own, it’s harder to plan workouts,” Cassidy stated. 

     Another member of the cross-country team and track team, sophomore Jenna Wedge agreed.  Once she heard that her and her teammates wouldn’t be getting together to practice, she, “trained a bit.” She added that she, “could’ve trained more.” Even though training was difficult without a team or a coach, she realized that preparing for the next season was going to be beneficial. “August 8, I started training again,” Wedge states. On her cool down days, she says that she likes doing yoga. 

     Like Cassidy said, Wedge agrees that it’s harder to train without your team because you might not, “know all of the warmups.” She also says that “it’s easier to slack off because no one is correcting you.”  

     For the athletes at NHHS, practicing at home or at a gym can be hard without the encouragement of your team and coaches. The crowd cheering, the suspense watching the scoreboard when time is short, or even teammates getting together for a group photo are an important part of high school sports for many and with virtual learning, it’s hard to experience those moments as a team.