WOODBURY — Athletics are fun, but every sport requires practice. Does being a high school athlete mean no breaks when other students are off from school?

Along with their everyday practices, Nonnewaug High School athletes must attend practice over school breaks. For fall athletes, summer vacation is a week or two shorter. In the winter, teams practice and compete over the holiday break. Spring athletes do the same over April vacation.

Abby Walsh, Nonnewaug’s swim coach, says practice over break has its benefits to athletes and her team overall.

“I think it’s important to have practice over break because right after break, we have our big swim meets for the season, so staying in shape, especially for swimming where it’s all technique, is super important.” Walsh says. “The benefits are getting more practice time and not having to worry about going home and having homework. The downside is since I don’t work in the school, we still have late practices.”

Grace Walkup, a junior swimmer and field hockey player, finds that practice over break not only trains the athlete, but helps the whole team be more prepared for meets and games.

“It’s important for athletes to continue practicing their sports because they stop for a week and then they have to go back for a meet or a game, and they could lose all the progress that they have made before break,” Walkup says. “The benefits are you continue to improve your skills in that spirit and you get stronger, but sometimes you might miss spending time with your family and friends over break.”

Walsh understands the struggles that come with handling family, friends, and sports at once while showing them commitment is just as important.

“If they can’t attend, I understand; some people go on vacations or whatnot. It sets them back and the team back for the season, so it’s highly encouraged [to attend],” Walsh says. “I think it is a three-month commitment to the team, so I think if you can commit those entire three months, it’s super important.”

But winter break isn’t the only school break given throughout the year. Spring sports follow down the same path hosting games in addition to practices over spring break.

Kyle Brennan, assistant baseball coach and social studies teacher at NHS, feels as though his players’ attendance over April break shows their commitment to the team.

“We have games and practices during spring break, and players should communicate that to their parents. Players who have been in the program know what to expect,” says Brennan. “We compete and play games that count during spring break, so we really need you there. We know that not everybody can help when their family schedules vacation, but sometimes those are opportunities for players who may not get opportunities the rest of the year to kind of step up and show that they belong.”

R.J. Barksdale, a junior baseball and football player at NHS, shows up for his team over breaks and hopes his teammates do the same.

“I think about 90% of the team attends the practices,” Barksdale says. “Not everyone comes every time, but everyone tries to show up. I would say that players on the team who show up actually want to play and players who don’t, don’t.”

Even though the bar is set high in terms of expectations for NHS’s baseball players, Brennan says that every minute of practice over spring break should be valued by the players.

“High school students and their families have a ton to balance and juggle. I’m not the one to say what decisions people should make. If a sport is important to you, you have to be willing to make sacrifices in order to get better and help your team get better,” says Brennan. “If that includes skipping a vacation and scheduling it in the summer rather than the spring, that counts as one of those sacrifices. It’s not easy to be a high school athlete, but it’s also a good lesson for the rest of your life to learn how to prioritize, and if you want to be successful, you have to put in the work for it.”

Athletes don’t just have to practice over break, though. Most fall athletes get a head start on their season with preseason that begins anywhere from one to three weeks before school begins.

Skylar Chung, a senior soccer and tennis player at NHS, helps her teammates to be the best they can by showing them the commitment needed to help not only the team but themselves.

“I think it’s a really good opportunity to get in shape and to also bond with all the new people on the team and just to get back into the swing of things,” says Chung. “The benefits are that it conditions us to get ready for the season so we are well prepared, and then the downsides are that it takes away time from the summer so you have to go to practice.”

Nick Sheikh, who coaches girls soccer and boys tennis while teaching science at Nonnewaug, knows the importance of family and friends, but he agrees that commitment is key to a good season.

“Family time is huge and other important events that may have been on the calendar for a long time are part of life,” says Sheikh. “Those things are important, but once the season begins, making sure you’re there for your teammates is a pretty big deal, and it goes a long way in a successful season.”

Chung helps her teammates in so many ways to prepare them for a fun-filled season, she makes sure everyone is on top of things to the best of their ability.

“Sometimes there are a few kids who won’t go and we just have to let them know they are a part of the sport and a part of the team and you have to show up to practice,” says Chung. “They’re really only punishing themselves by not going and by not being prepared and getting ready for the season.”

Sheikh says the most important part of preseason practice involves building strength and teamwork to get his players through the season.

“It’s part of being a good teammate. If you’re there for your team at the get-go and everyone is on the same page, that lends itself to building a solid team bond that can end up in good places at the end of the season, especially state tournament-wise,” says Sheikh. “Fundamentals are very important, but being conditioned and having a good fitness level to compete at the top is huge.”