As fall sports wind down, athletes at our school need ways to stay in shape and prepare for their next season. For many teams, conditioning during the winter has become a staple. This time is used to make sure athletes are in tiptop shape, but also to build bonds with teammates. For years, athletes have spent their offseason training on the field at Greenbrier Park. With recent renovations taking place at the end of the fall season, teams have been forced to come up with new creative ways to train.
For the football team, the field is primarily where training takes place. Whether that’s in season practice or offseason technique training, players spend a majority of their time on that turf. Following the closing of the field, the team has migrated inside the school where the gym and hallways are now being utilized. Football coach Evan Ruffner and Weightroom Coordinator Mark Lihn have been coming up with new ideas to keep their athletes in shape. One of their new ideas was the circuit training method, an idea that will likely be used by more teams. By having their athletes train in 45 second increments and going station to station, circuit training is the best way to prioritize gains while being stuck with such a limited space.
On the other hand, teams such as the boys and girls crew teams and the indoor track team haven’t given the renovations a second thought. The crew teams have been a well oiled machine, training on their state of the art Ergometer rowing machines since the very start. These machines allow athletes a grueling workout without the difficulty of moving around or having to squeeze into an already tiny space. Similarly, the track team has been able to keep up with their conditioning programs by lifting weights in the gym and running all over Arlington.
Even students who don’t participate in sports at our school have using the weightroom and the gym to stay in shape during the winter. Following the renovations of the weight room back in 2023, the school decided to open the gym up after school for all students. At first this decision was made for the few students requesting access to the gym, but it has quickly turned into one of the hottest after school spots.
Whether running in the freezing cold or circuit training in the building, our athletes are proving that this minor setback isn’t going to hinder any of their gains or goals for next season. By adapting to the renovations on the field and maximizing the parts of school that are available, coaches and players have ensured that the winter workouts will be just as important as they have always been in the past.
