Charger athletes sweat overtime for sports
Betsy Woodruff
Issue date: 9/10/09 Section: Focus
By early August, many Hillsdale students were working summer jobs, starting on reading or taking exorbitantly long naps.
Charger athletes, meanwhile, were not.
Before starting class, sophomores Brogan Wells and Clara Leutheuser travelled to the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs where they competed in their first tournament of the season.
"That was just a really fun trip," Leutheuser said.
The team won all four of their matches.
The victory didn't surprise her or her teammate Wells.
"We put in so much hard work and effort during the pre-season, practicing three times a day and doing it for a purpose," Wells said. "Our coaches told us, that didn't happen on accident -- you guys worked hard."
She said she and her teammates came to campus on Aug. 9 to start their training regimen.
Football players also curtailed their summer vacations to start their training without the pressure of classes, returning to campus on Aug. 6.
Keith Otterbein, head football coach, believes the singularity of focus helps the players maximize their training.
"They're concerned about eating, sleeping and football," he said. "They kind of get spoiled with having the ability to turn their brain off when they leave the football part of it when they're here for early practice."
Christopher Gravel, volleyball coach, also appreciates training his players without feeling the need to let them balance athletics and academics.
"They can be dead tired at the end of the night," he said, citing summer practices which occur two or three times a day. Players practice only once a day during the school year, he added.
The football and volleyball players each follow strict training regimens over the summer before returning to school.
Otterbein said the football players focus on running, lifting and agility over the summer. Their progress pleased him.
"This is the second year in a row that we've come back that the whole team made their physical fitness testing," he said. "They're doing the necessary work to prepare to show up in shape."
The cross-country and track team members kept each other accountable by logging their training hours on a website, said Bill Lundberg, head track coach.
They came back on Aug. 23 before camping at the G. H. Gordon Biological Station for five days.
Sarah Hinkley, women's cross-country assistant coach, said camp is particularly helpful for freshmen.
"They can really focus on their running and getting to know their teammates."
Charger athletes, meanwhile, were not.
Before starting class, sophomores Brogan Wells and Clara Leutheuser travelled to the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs where they competed in their first tournament of the season.
"That was just a really fun trip," Leutheuser said.
The team won all four of their matches.
The victory didn't surprise her or her teammate Wells.
"We put in so much hard work and effort during the pre-season, practicing three times a day and doing it for a purpose," Wells said. "Our coaches told us, that didn't happen on accident -- you guys worked hard."
She said she and her teammates came to campus on Aug. 9 to start their training regimen.
Football players also curtailed their summer vacations to start their training without the pressure of classes, returning to campus on Aug. 6.
Keith Otterbein, head football coach, believes the singularity of focus helps the players maximize their training.
"They're concerned about eating, sleeping and football," he said. "They kind of get spoiled with having the ability to turn their brain off when they leave the football part of it when they're here for early practice."
Christopher Gravel, volleyball coach, also appreciates training his players without feeling the need to let them balance athletics and academics.
"They can be dead tired at the end of the night," he said, citing summer practices which occur two or three times a day. Players practice only once a day during the school year, he added.
The football and volleyball players each follow strict training regimens over the summer before returning to school.
Otterbein said the football players focus on running, lifting and agility over the summer. Their progress pleased him.
"This is the second year in a row that we've come back that the whole team made their physical fitness testing," he said. "They're doing the necessary work to prepare to show up in shape."
The cross-country and track team members kept each other accountable by logging their training hours on a website, said Bill Lundberg, head track coach.
They came back on Aug. 23 before camping at the G. H. Gordon Biological Station for five days.
Sarah Hinkley, women's cross-country assistant coach, said camp is particularly helpful for freshmen.
"They can really focus on their running and getting to know their teammates."
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