Enjoying some relaxing time away from your daily practices, aggressive coaches and annoying sweat stains? Well, think again. Spring is quickly approaching which means spring sports are just around the corner. All tennis, lacrosse, track and field, baseball and softball players need to get off that couch and prepare for the new season.

The first way athletes can prepare is to start eating some fruits or vegetables. Although it may sound gross, having a healthy appetite will help clear an athlete’s mind and give him or her more energy. Those potato chips may sound good now, but athletes do not want those to come back up when they start warming up during practice. Now it is not necessary to cut out everything that is considered unhealthy, but it is important to eat unhealthy foods in moderation is okay as well.

It might not be easy to get back into the groove, so some athletes take the time to start training earlier. Chanel Miller (’12) does “lots of conditioning, running and sit-ups so I’m not out of shape by the time try-outs come around.” Conditioning is the number one way athletes prepare for sports. It not only prevents them from getting tired too quickly, but it also helps their muscles start their body back up.

With having experience with other sports, like field hockey, Miller also prefers to “do stick work and keep working on other techniques so when the season comes around I can just jump right in with the rest of the team.” Kerry McLaughlin (’13) says to “condition, get your paper work together and try to practice with your future teammate.” Most teams hold a clinic or open gym night to give future players the chance to not only condition but to also meet with returning to new players as well.

Running is important, but with having spring sports so late in the year, some also have to make sure they are academically stable to practice again. Jackie James (’12) “starts to run and exercise” but she also “gets organized with schoolwork because during sports season, you can get busy.”

This statement is very true. In fact, most coaches want to look at interims and report cards so they know whether or not a student can handle balancing everything out. If a student’s grades are not up to par, he or she might not even get the chance to try-out.Sports are fun, but academics should always be in the front of a student’s mind.