The spring 2017 sports season is right around the corner. Student-athletes have to stay in shape and practice over the winter break, but do they have to live on campus? Each student has a specific routine to follow.
Student-athletes are not required to stay on campus over the winter break.
“Students that don’t live locally do not have to be here,” Dustin Malandra, Cabrini’s strength and conditioning coordinator, said.
Athletes that live near Cabrini are allowed to take advantage of the gym over break. Using the gym over break can keep the athletes in their routine. Also, the campus will be on break so it will give the athletes a quiet place to get in their zone.
Sarah Beckner, softball catcher, said, “I will not be using the gym over break because I live two hours away from school, but I do work there and I might be coming back early so I can work there.”
Cabrini’s gym, the Dixon Center, was updated in 2016 with new equipment and machines for athletes to use.
Tennis player Joy Patel said, “I will be using the gym in general, but not here (Cabrini University) because I commute.”
“The rowing team trains at Archbishop Carroll in their own self pace work outs,” Janit Gorka, head women’s rowing coach, said.
These athletes do have a routine to follow. Cabrini University’s head baseball coach, Nick Weisheipl, said that his athletes will have their strength and conditioning program to complete over the break. “Each player has an individualized program that they should be working on while they are away.”
“Every year they are given a program to do over break, usually as a continuation of what have done during the fall,” Malandra said.
Cabrini’s coaches have a specific strength and conditioning routine for each player.
“Work outs are tailored towards their experience, their sport, gender, and any limitations I found during testing,” Malandra said.
“I plan on hitting up the gym five days a week, doing stretches, not too much weight lifting, maybe boost my stamina and try to eat healthy,” Patel said.
According to Heather Nakamura, student athletes should stay on a healthy diet and remember to eat a balanced breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plan a pre-workout snack, fuel and hydrate during workouts and plan ahead.
“I think it is too much because I challenge myself to meet the requirements that I will be needing in the spring season,” Patel said.
According to Volt Athletics, strength training is used to create resistance, stress, adaptation and performance.
“The preseason involves a lot of running for us so a lot of us like to run over winter break so we don’t die during the preseason,” Beckner said.
The athletes at Cabrini University are not required to stay on campus, but they are required to do their program and workouts. So what do the coaches do over break? They eat, live, sleep and breathe the sport that will be taking place in the spring.
“Continuing to recruit, working on our fundraising, ventures, scheduling things for the 2018 season, showcases and camps. Basically everything that I am doing every day goes right into winter break,” Weisheipl said.
“I am always recruiting and I am still working the fitness center, the Dixon Center, so my job does not change,” Gorka said.
