How long the offseason lasts depends on the sport and the level it is played at. It is recommended that kids have a three-month long offseason to rest, recover and improve their skills in a low-pressure environment.
Spencer Brogan, ‘29, is one of the many student-athletes at WHHS.She is on the WHHS junior high soccer and lacrosse teams and participates in basketball and swimming for local recreational leagues.
Because Brogan does so many sports, she does not have a true offseason. Currently, she does indoor soccer and lacrosse and is in the regular season for basketball. She has two practices a week for basketball and games on the weekends for soccer, lacrosse and basketball.
Doing more than one sport is challenging, so Brogan handles it with her mentality.
“[I] have the mental toughness [for the] four sports that I do,” Brogan said. “I do it because I enjoy it and because it leaves me with something to do. I hate not having something to do.”
Because Brogan does so many sports, at times, she has to choose between them.
“[Right now,] I have to choose between indoor soccer, [indoor] lacrosse and basketball,” Brogan said.
Brogan thinks that doing sports affects her academic studies in both positive and negative ways.
“I think it benefits me because in sports you have to focus on one thing, so it helps your focus,” Brogan said. “But it can hurt too because I have bad time management and with all my practices the homework piles up and I procrastinate, so when I find out I have a game on the weekend, I panic.”
Brogan says switching seasons in soccer impacts her the most out of all the sports she does.
“Going from five days a week of practices to one game a week in soccer is weird,” Brogan said.
Another WHHS multi-sport student-athlete is Lyla Fritsch, ‘28, who does both lacrosse and cross country for WHHS. During the offseason, Fritsch runs cross country around her neighborhood and uses an app to time herself for lacrosse.
“Me, my friends and our coach make an indoor team,” Fritsch said. “It’s just games on the weekends, and we don’t have any practices or anything. We just play for fun.”
Fritsch manages to play more than one sport by using her time wisely.
“In my free time, I’m making sure I’m doing my schoolwork and practicing when I don’t have to do homework,” Fritsch said.
Fritsch sometimes has to choose between what to do for her two sports.
“[Sometimes I choose] running over actually practicing for my other sport because I know running will contribute to my other sport, but it [also] contributes to cross country,” Fritsch said.
When Fritsch is not doing sports she participates in STUCO 2028 and babysits. Fritsch thinks that her academics were affected the most during the cross country season.
“It was hard to do my homework, because I have practice right after school. So it’s hard to be motivated to do my homework after practice,” Fritsch said.
Fritsch misses her sports when she is in the offseason.
“During the season, I’m happier because I’m just being more social and doing what I love,” Fritsch said. “During the offseason, I have to find time to hang out with my friends because they have their [own] sports.”