WOODBURY – Nonnewaug students spent the past month gearing up for winter sports. From early practices to strength training, athletes prepared for everything from swimming to basketball.

Jake Lambert, a freshman at Nonnewaug, made sure he got his rest in between workouts. 

“The most important thing for me during the winter season is to make sure I’m well rested and ready to go for the next workout,” Lambert said. “Just speaking for me, if I’m not rested, I just can’t seem to function the next day.”

Greg Neumann, also a freshman at NHS, wasn’t as focused on rest as he was on training.

“The couple weeks off between football and basketball for me are the most important,” says Neumann. “I have to work really hard in those weeks to make sure I’m ready for basketball.”

Neumann believes fall season sports players have a limited time in between their sport seasons to get ready.

“I feel like other athletes that don’t play fall sports have an advantage on me just because they’ve been working and preparing for a lot longer than me,” says Neumann. 

Still, many athletes find ways to adapt to this harsh schedule considering most of them play both fall and winter sports.

“It’s really just something you just have to get used to,” said Aiden Lessard, a freshman. “Ever since I was little I could remember fast moving schedules for sports.”

For other athletes that don’t play sports in the winter they still make sure to make the most out of the time off that they have.

“This is definitely the best time of the year,” said Kaleb Haven, a freshman. “Playing football especially can get very repetitive for me, and when it’s over I feel a lot less stressed.”

Nonnewaug athletic trainer Sean McGee advises targeted stretching and workouts to prepare for new sports.

“Every athlete should be focused on stretching the muscles that are used in their sport,” McGee said. “Athletes should focus on training styles similar to their desired sport. Asking their coach to find out what to work on is a good idea.”