As the leaves fall and the season turns to winter, competition and excitement continue with winter sports. Winter sports such as swim and dive, track and field, basketball and wrestling compete with the excitement of a new school year and football season. Winter sports are coming in hard and fast to replace the gap between fall and spring.
Winter sports are a way to continue competition and school rivalries during the cold months. In years past, students may have thought when fall sports ended, the sports season would slow down. In early September when all eyes were focused on fall sports, winter athletes were quietly working at their craft. “I do conditioning training every day and prepare for basketball by lifting and doing strength and skill work. I’m excited about this season but also sad because it’s my last season playing Wootton basketball, ” senior varsity boys basketball player Jaiden Aze said.
Winter athletes must commit months ahead of time to training and practice in order to be ready for the winter season. Junior basketball and volleyball player Naima Cho-Khaliq participates on a fall league team working up to the beginning of her winter season. “The Wootton girls’ basketball team has their own fall team and we practice sometimes at the field house in Germantown,” Cho-Khaliq said.
Senior track and field athlete Mariah Smith is also looking forward to competing this winter. Due to previous injuries, Smith is even more motivated to work hard before the season starts. Athletes can get hurt because it’s harder to warm up during the cold winter months. During the off-season, “I usually work on my strength and stamina,” Smith said. “Simply having a positive mindset is what I am doing.”
According to a winter sports injury prevention article by Orthoinfo, “Common winter sports injuries include sprains, strains, dislocations, and fractures.”
Injuries can be prevented if athletes prepare before the winter season begins. Athletes should focus on their conditioning and stamina to avoid injuries from exhaustion. “Almost 200,000 people were treated at hospitals, doctors officers, and emergency rooms for injuries related to winter sports in 2018 according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission,” the Orthoinfo article states.
Junior wrestler Argil Bilegsaikhan said, “I’m training every day doing my stretches and going on three-mile runs. I’m also eating healthy and preparing myself mentally.”
Bilegsaikhan is a third-year wrestler who trains almost three hours per day. “I work on my endurance, agility, and technique,” Bilegsaikhan said.
Junior Alara Erkan swims the 500 freestyle and has been competitively swimming for seven years. She said she is “practicing with her club team RMSC” to prepare for her season. This commitment involves eight to nine practices per week outside of school.
Winter sports change gloomy cold days to exciting athletic competitions with packed gyms. Winter sports no longer take a backseat to fall sports. Cold nights at schools will soon be filled with the warmth of winter sports competitions.
