The life of a student-athlete is not all fun and games. Winning glory on the field of play takes dedication and hours and hours of training.
Senior Noah Deleon played varsity football this past fall and plans to run for the varsity track team in the spring. Although he currently is taking time off from sports to enjoy his senior year, he still trains during the off-season, Deleon said.
“My current schedule consists of waking up at around 5:00 am to go to the gym and lift weights,” Deleon said.“At around 6:45 pm to 6:50 pm, I get ready for school. Once I get to school, I go through the day as usual.”
Deleon broke his collarbone during a track event earlier this year and hasn’t had the time to complete his physical therapy, he said. That’s why it is an important part of his current schedule, he added.
“After school, I either go to my physical trainer’s office, or I’ll go to the track and prepare for the upcoming track season by doing workouts that’ll get me in shape once the season starts.”
Another type of preparation he does is reviewing film on games and other athletes, Deleon said. The football team analyzes other opponents to get an understanding of what they play like, and he also watches specific athletes to improve his skills, he added.
“When it comes to track, I’ll watch a lot of sprinters, like Noah Lyles for example, on his techniques and what he does to be a successful athlete,” Deleon said. “Right now, he is arguably the fastest person in the world, and I try to get as close to his form and his technique as I can.”
Deleon believes that practice is intense, but more of a mental obstacle, rather than a physical one, he said.
“Everybody is capable of practicing and showing up every day,” Deleon said. “It’s just if everyone is willing to do it.”.
As a senior, Deleon’s main motivation is the little amount of time he has left in high school and the thought of other people training harder than him, he said.
“If they’re the only ones getting better, then that means they’re going to be the winners at the end of the day,” Deleon said. “So as long as I keep working, I’m going to continue to become a better athlete, and also fulfill my dreams of finishing my senior season.”
Diet and nutrition are also very important for athletes, according to varsity wrestler Ethan Nguyen, a junior.
“I just eat whatever my parents make me, but I try to remove unhealthy parts like fats,” Nguyen said. “And the day before tournaments, I usually try not to eat a lot and also cut down water weight to try to make weight.”
He explains that weight is very important in a sport like wrestling, Nguyen said.
“I used to be underweight my freshman year, and I would feel weak wrestling, so it’s always better to try to be at a weight class where you feel strong and fast at,” Nguyen said.
Diet and nutrition differs during the season and during the off-season, Nguyen said. When he’s overweight, he puts on layers of clothes and does a hard workout to sweat it off, Nguyen added.
“Over this summer, I gained twenty pounds, and I’m working to cut some of that,” Nguyen said.
Even though wrestling is an individual sport, there are some team aspects to it, Nguyen said.
“[In] practices you have a drilling partner,” Nguyen said. “There’s a lot of responsibilities for being the drilling partner, because you work hard to get your partner to work hard too.”
Varsity tennis player Ranvir Sakhalkar, a sophomore, describes tennis as an individual sport but explains the significance of having a coach for training, Sakhalkar said.
“Typically you should be working with a coach individually to see if they can assist you better than with the group,” Sakhalkar said.
Sakhalkar balances cardio, skills training, and weightlifting by combining several exercises at the same time, he said.
“I start it off with weights, then I wear the weights while I work on my skills,” Sakhalkar said. “Then, I take that off once I finish with my skills practice, and I go to the gym and do some cardio,” Sakhalkar added.
Sakhalkar believes that tennis requires a resilient mindset, and mentally prepares himself before every competition, he said.
“Usually, I like listening to music,” Sakhalkar said. “It helps me get my mind off what I have to do. Moments before I go on the court, I think about what I need to work on and how I can best exploit my opponents’ weaknesses.”