WOODBURY — As the buzzer goes off at the last game of the season, your body takes a sigh of relief.
You can finally take a break.
Whether it’s soccer, football, field hockey, cross country, student-athletes are drained from pushing themselves to the limit in their sports.
Just a short and sweet break before pushing to the next season is sometimes all an athlete needs to avoid a burnout.
Greta Addeo, a sophomore soccer player, is no longer playing a winter sport because of other commitments and needing a break from pushing her body.
“I need time in my year where I’m not constantly going to practice so I can work on school and art,” Addeo said. “I know I’m going to miss it [sports], but I feel good to know I’m going to have enough time to get things done.”
Junior three-sport athlete Scott Viveros has a tough time getting his head in the right gear to start up the next sport after the fall season. He plays football in the fall, swims in the winter, and plays baseball in the spring.
If Northwest United qualifies for the state football playoffs, football players will still be playing in early December — right up until winter practices start.
“It’s a harder change, more mentally than physically,” Viveros said. “My fall sports season is such a long period of time from August to the end of November. With just a short break, it is hard to go straight into another sport.”
Laila Jones, another three-sport athlete, agrees with Viveros on pushing through even when there isn’t time to rest.
“I try to give my all but that takes a lot out of me,” said Jones, who plays field hockey, basketball, and lacrosse. “Also having to do another sport right after, putting more of my positive energy and effort into that as well is hard.”
Even when Jones is drained, she likes staying busy.
“I think it’s really good for me, and that little break gives me that reset preparing me for the next sport so I can move on from the field hockey mindset and focus on basketball,” Jones said.
Viveros agrees with Jones and thinks having back-to-back sports can be helpful to the mind and body.
“The good thing though is that with football towards the end, it makes me appreciate the other sports and how it gets me ready for them,” Viveros said. “From going straight into one sport to another prepares my body the best. Even though I don’t really get a break, my body stays in shape from one sport to the next- and with a sport like swimming, staying in shape is crucial.”
