Athletes have been focused on staying in shape this fall. In between football and baseball seasons, students have joined the JV track offseason lifting program.
The program is a part of the winter track team, and workouts are held five days a week after school.
“We have many athletes that wish to improve their strength and speed for their fall and spring sports,” JV head coach Christopher Bagot said.
The workouts are designed to increase strength, speed, and explosive power. Mostly consisting of lifting in the newly designed weight room, as well as working on short distance running on the track to work on quickness.
“The first few days were a good benchmark to see where I was at physically,” senior Finn Scott-Daniels said. “Coach CB has put together a great plan and I feel like this program is gonna set me up for a successful baseball season.”
Bench press, incline bench press, shoulder press and bicep curls are a huge part of the upper-body workout routine.
Standard and bulgarian split squats, as well as explosive jumps are all a big factor in the lower-body program.
Quick footwork drills consist of ladder drills and cone drills on the outdoor track and turf. Also running track events including the 150 and 200 meter dash.
“JV is for development, the goal is to get our athletes ready for varsity competition down the road and be ready for coach Scarborough to take them to the next level,” Bagot said.
Students have already begun to see a difference in their physique and ability just two weeks into the season.
“I made the mistake of not working hard enough over the summer, however, I’m starting to feel strong again and more like myself as we prepare for the baseball season,” junior Evan Newton said.
“My goal is to get quicker and build up my speed through short-distance running,” Newton said.
The team has also handled some housekeeping activities like organizing the C-train.
Although the specific goals of athletes may differ depending on the sport they are working to improve in, the athletes are all bonding together with the same mentality.
“I think we will have fun pushing each other to new limits. We have a group of people that will hold others accountable and allow you to measure yourself against,” Bagot said.
The group contains athletes at all levels, including returning senior varsity athletes accompanied by freshman prepping for their first season. Despite the gap, the mentality and work ethic among the group remains the same, with the intention to improve and reach their maximum potential.