With spring sport season rapidly approaching, track and field athletes are already preparing for it through their annual winter conditioning. There are significantly more athletes in track than in any other sport at Elkhorn South, so it is important to start training before the season even begins. Whether students do track and field outside of school or not, it is still important for them to be a valued part of the team by showing up for winter conditioning and preparing for the season to come.

Junior Haley Mattox is one of Elkhorn South’s sprinters who participates in track both inside and outside of school, as well as winter conditioning.

“I try to go to conditioning as much as I can, but usually I cannot go much because I have individual training,” Mattox said. 

Even though Mattox is busy with track outside of school, she still manages to find time to participate in conditioning so she still has the privilege of being part of the team. In conditioning, athletes do several different activities and workouts depending on the day. This way, they can make sure they are in the best shape possible heading into the spring season.

“What we do is different each day because we do abs somedays, we sprint through the halls some other days, and then some days we do stairs and weightlifting,” Mattox said.

It is important for all athletes to train differently each day to develop different muscles and strengths which will help them reach peak power and performance for the season. This is especially important for sprinters, who need to be very strong and powerful to get across the track as fast as possible in such a short amount of time. Mattox runs the 100 and 200 meter dash, and the 4×100 meter relay,  so conditioning helps her prepare for the season of sprinting ahead of her. There are other benefits to winter conditioning as well, like impressing the coaches and showing their dedication to being on the team.

“It is important to do winter conditioning before the season starts because it keeps you in shape and shows your commitment to the coaches and to the sport itself,” Mattox said.

Winter conditioning has more benefits than what it looks like from the outside. By participating, it shows the coaches that you are willing to put in the work even before the season starts and shows them that you are truly devoted to getting better and making this season the best one possible.

Overall, track and field winter conditioning provides tons of benefits to all athletes who participate, including Mattox. Not only does it keep athletes in shape, but it also shows their commitment to the team and the sport while actively preparing them for their season in the spring. Best of luck to all track and field athletes on the conditioning and their season as we head into spring.