When you think of college athletes, you most likely visualize them in the height of season. You think of bus rides, weekly games and hours upon hours of training. All of these things are reality but only reality for half the year. Competition in the off-season looks vastly different.
Every sport has an off-season with different training methods and limited hours of required practices.
“Out-of-season is so different than in-season. You completely switch mindsets and switch gears,” junior zoology major and women’s soccer player Victoria Seymour said.
This is beneficial not only for athletes’ bodies but also for their mental health.
“In season you grow physically. There’s a mental side to it as well, but you really put your body through it,” Seymour said. “Off-season is a lot more mental growth because you do not have as much coaching or as many weekly games. It comes down to you and what you are willing to put yourself through to get better.”
Seymour plans her classes to be more academically challenging in the spring when she knows she will have a lighter athletic load. Over summers, she plays with a team back home where she gets to enjoy playing the game without as much pressure.
“As you mature as an athlete, you get better at staying motivated when you don’t have those games to push you to get better,” Seymour said.
Each sport’s off-season looks different and can vary from coach to coach. Seymour has played under two soccer coaches while at Union. Both have chosen to use their limited hours differently and had differing styles in their approach.
Soccer is allotted five games and 20 hours per week for practice and travel. This will help prepare the team for the coming competition season and build the foundation for their performance in the fall.
“In-season is just all about winning games. Everything is structured and your whole day is planned,” Seymour said. “Off-season, you totally switch to improving the little things that you may not have had time for in-season. You get to break down and look at things at more of an individual level than a team level.”
A common theme among all sports off-seasons is an emphasis on building strength through weight lifting. Oftentimes, in-season demands allow no time for an athlete’s body to recover from the advanced lifting it takes to gain significant strength. The spring is the perfect time to load up on weights.
“We focus more on speed and building strength,” sophomore nursing major and cross-country runner William Craig said. “We do much harder gym workouts that are meant to build our mass and strength.”
Union University does not have an NCAA track team; however, the cross country team participates in track meets and uses the change of distance as training for the fall. The races do not contribute towards team scoring but they do serve an important role in giving the runners bodies a break from long mileage while also maintaining their stamina and working on their speed.
“Even when we wake up early and do hard workouts, I am motivated by staying healthy and encouraged by what a blessing it is to be able to run,” Craig said.
Craig enjoys being more involved in the Student Activities Council and Greek life in his spring seasons. Over summers, it is challenging to run by himself, so he and his teammates anticipate coming together again.
Volleyball’s off-season switches practice times to mornings, giving students more time to participate in other things and bond with each other through movie nights, Bible studies and picnics.
“It really is a time of self-reflection, but also a time for growing relationships with your teammates,” sophomore digital communications major and volleyball player Bailey Hughes said.
Hughes has access to a gym over summer where she scrimmages with old teammates who are also now playing collegiately. This allows for a light-hearted competition that reignites joy in her love for the sport.
“We are all very busy people, so taking the extra time to have lunch with someone who you aren’t as close with or going home with someone over the weekend are the difference-makers for chemistry on the court,” Hughes said.
Photo courtesy of UU Athletics