The roar of cheering and praise are familiar to every high school athlete, regardless of the sport they play. However, this reward often comes with a price. Any skill, including the mastery of a sport, requires training, determination and the sacrifice of one’s free time.
Due to the upcoming fall sports season, many KHS students have become accustomed to this over the summer. Athletes across each sport welcomed the grueling training regimens, along with the inconvenience of Kirkwood weather. However, students and coaches have noticed significant improvement from the summer preparation, despite the humidity-induced sweat and sore muscles.
Julie Goodman, head coach of varsity girls’ volleyball, said KHS offers a 20 day program throughout the summer to practice in the gym with the high school coaches. The schedule consists of a weights and conditioning routine, open gym time, as well as games and tournaments. There is also time to connect with a college coach at the end of the month, and they met with the SLU womens’ volleyball head coach this year.
“We recommend that our girls be in the gym as much as possible,” Goodman said. “It has been wonderful for them because they get to work hard and have fun at the same time.”
Goodman said throughout the summer, the program had 20-30 girls in the weights and conditioning program for up to four days a week. As summer training continued, Goodman said that there has been visible improvement among many upcoming players. She said this progression makes her hopeful for this season.
“We are very excited for the fall,” Goodman said. “Our girls have worked hard in the
off-season and [they] are ready for the 2024 season to start.”
Meara Rea, sophomore, was on the freshman girls’ volleyball team last year and said she is aiming to be on the JV or varsity team this fall. She said she recommends the summer training program for anyone interested in trying out for volleyball.
“A big part of [being on] the volleyball team is participation, so the coaches seeing you put in the work is a big part of getting on the team,” Rea said. “There are open gyms for a few days during the week, so there are lots of opportunities to get ready for tryouts.”
Rea said she feels nervous due to the competitiveness of the team, but she hopes all of her work will pay off once the season starts. She said the extra preparation is reassuring, especially for volleyball, since the team has become harder to make each year.
“I think that knowing that I’m doing everything in my power to try to be a part of the team and knowing I’m putting [in] all of the work that I can makes me more comfortable,” Rea said. “I’m trying my best, so I hope that it’s enough.”
Maggie McKay, sophomore, said she had an extremely successful cross country season last year, by getting the opportunity to run in many varsity races. She said her summer training has only helped her improve more, become stronger and gain confidence for the fall season.
“The extra prep helps so I’m not going into the season cold,” McKay said. “I have some miles under my belt already and am less likely to get injured in the beginning of the season.”
Wayne Baldwin, KHS boys’ cross country coach, works with runners from all levels. Baldwin said summer training is essential to any athlete who wants to be successful in the fall, especially if they run.
“Athletes who run during the summer are fit, prepared, [better protected from injuries], run faster and reach more PRs,” Baldwin said. “The fall season will be rough for people who don’t train in the summer, because how hard they work [during the summer] determines their performance during the year.”
Baldwin believes this cross country season looks promising, based on the performance level he has seen from the summer runners. He said he has noticed endurance and stamina improvement across many runners who plan to participate in the fall.
“We are excited to begin this season, since so many new and former runners have joined,” Baldwin said. “I see lots of potential for success, and already achieved-success, across each level.”
Bella Mosley, sophomore, played on the varsity field hockey team last year and plans to try out again. Mosley said she finds that while many players take time off during the summer, she pushes herself even more during off-season training.
“Extra prep is really important. If you want to be a varsity starter or play D1 in college, every second counts,” Mosley said. “Relaxing during summer might be the easy thing to do, but this is the time you have to push yourself the hardest.”
Though Mosley’s time is primarily spent perfecting her skills, she notices how her training is not only to improve as a player, but as a teammate as well. Mosley said summer training gives her the opportunity to get to know more players and make friends.
“I do Grit training on the weekdays. Each day focuses on a different skill. Strength, speed, and endurance,” Mosley said. “A lot of my club teammates do Grit with me. It’s fun that we all push each other but also get to see each other over the summer.”
