Throughout the past few years, more and more students have been joining sports and extracurriculars. Whilst everyone gets excited about the fall sports, like football and volleyball, as of late there has been exponential growth in the number of attendees and participants of spring sports, as well.

   Boys volleyball and basketball are always a big hit, along with baseball, softball, and track & field. But what many people don’t know is that both spring and fall sports start months before the actual season starts.

   “I think it’s crazy how early people start practicing,” said Juliea Cardonna, sophomore. “It takes a lot of commitment.”

   For example, cross country, a fall sport, starts practicing before the previous school year even lets out. Similar cases are true with many other sports and clubs, like football, volleyball, and basketball.

   “The reason that we start in June is because the ISHA allows us to hold up to 25 days of practice prior to the regular season,” said Mr. Rick Durso, cross country coach. “This gives our athletes the opportunity to build a strong foundation of fitness so that they can handle more intense training in September/October.”

   Each of these sports has their unique way of preparing for their season, often involving relentless practicing, and lots of hard work. It can be easy for people watching to overlook the effort behind these athletes’ performances.

   Each day of practice is a challenge to overcome, and each game, race, or competition is a chance to better your talent and challenge yourself to surpass your limits. All while improving your overall well-being in the process.

   “Taking part in any sport helps your mindset grow and change,” said Noah Lloyd, freshman.

   Becoming involved in any after school activity is a commitment, and there are sacrifices that have to be made. Giving up time you could be spending with your friends, or sitting by the pool in the summer, is not an easy thing to do. Inserting yourself into a new community or circle of people takes determination and effort, but there are always upsides to the amount of work it takes.

   Making new friends is the number one benefit many people get from joining a new sport or club. Even if you aren’t a “hard-core” athlete, you can easily benefit just from showing up to practice. Meeting new people and networking are made much easier when you find a group of people you are comfortable around, which often results from joining a team of any sort.

   “This year during cross country, I made so many new friends,” said Larkin Blakeney, sophomore. “It’s important to stick with it.”

   Not only are you bound to make friends, but joining a club or sport is an excellent way to better your mind and body. Muscle conditioning is a great thing to practice, especially in high school while our bodies are still developing, and many sports condition your mind, too.

   Mental awareness whilst competing and pushing yourself physically is extremely important. Whether you are trying to master your pitch, or you are simply trying to get through a three-mile race, you have to practice being in the right head-space, in order to prevent yourself from giving up and quitting.

   “Pushing yourself to become better at what you love is an excellent way to better yourself as a person,” said Cardonna.