Image provided by: West Linn High School; West Linn, OR
About The amplifier. (West Linn, Oregon) 1921-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2007)
FqÉ>ruary 2CT7 11 t UDEflTS 9 A thlet lain part of game M average leave time for injured 1 1 », players. Baseball and softball Staff Reporter rounded out the bottom of the injury chart, averaging only two Camps, weight lifting, leagues player injuries over a period of and open field time fill an two weeks or more. athlete's off-season. All sports The Lions have had their have a longer off-season than fare share of sports-related a regular season which means injuries, including accidents more time to work on skills and that have sidelined competitors to get bigger, faster and stronger, for significant periods of time. especially during the summer Zach Sramek, sophomore, was when school work can't get in entering his first year on the the way. Varsity Football Team when he Reed Nicholson, junior, plays injured himself during practice. basketball and baseball. Both He was leg-whipped which sports include important sum resulted in a broken femur. mer training and include par Sramek was sidelined for three ticip a tio n in sum m er b all months and supported his leagues.Summer ball for both teammates from the bench for sports have no practices and the rest of the season. only games. "It sucks because you are "When there is overlap between or, is one of many working hard and nothing baseball and basketball, I alter who have suffered feels like it's getting better," nate. The coaches know because injuries. Kraus was said Sramek of his injury. they have a lot of kids who do om tendons in his both," Nicholson said. rained it last winter Sramek is now healing well and continuing rehabilitation. Nicholson believes summer is n training. the most important time for off Photo by Cole Fiala Despite his disappointment with this football season, Sramek season training for the sports he ?e players fell to looks forward to competing next plays and that summer ball is ver the course season. He is also a member of more relaxed and laid back. rhese numbers, the Varsity Wrestling Team and "Ithelps you work out problems they are, could plans to compete in track later in your game. People get equal iccess since this spring. playing time, so more play," ninately affected Nicholson said. The studies conducted at md go-to player* Ohio State University show "I beleive the off season is the ras the only s that although son ^thletes most important time for play s lost nearly as will sustain competition-related ers to improve their individual to competition- injuries due to the nature of skills," David Ely, freshman tice injuries, competitive sports, many sports boys basketball coach, said. ip the longest injuries can be prevented. The basketball team has open Athletes can make a conscious gym time to shoot around dur effort to warm up prior to ing the year and also goes to an overnight camp at Gortzaga practice or a game, and they can recreational University every summer. suit up with the appropriate rious forms of equipment. belly dancing, eational dance, >wshoeing, gives students a place to go occer and HlLLLARY K r IPPAEHNE & Him C i AVARELLQ ari(^ stay ollt of trouble, too. d advanced staff Reporters "¡t (sports) keeps me from st community doing other things that I Dproximately Sports plays a big role in shouldn't," Gray said. n for two to some student's lives, as they During team practices and find themselves running from competitions, althletes work is abound in practice to practice and staying together and push each other irea, but a day up late to finish assignments. an be costly, Students are feeling the pressure. to perform. Whitney Harmon, senior, cites her trip to State isit is with a Callan Gray, freshman, plays with the Cross Country Team ou visit one of both basketball and volleyball. when teammates helped her f courses in the The two seasons overlap and are played year round except for succeed by offering support and providing motivation. he pressures two months during the summer. "My favorite thing about ying, getting Her typical afternoon includes sports is working together with ends together school, one practice, another my teammates," Harmon said. ill, basketball practice and then homework Injuries also add pressure good way to until late into the night. Gray for athletes. Sprained ankles, while having enjoys her busy schedule and tom muscles and broken bones uses it to her advantage. can have a major impact. i the Portland "Yeah, I love playing sports Ldoor soccer) and it keeps me busy," Gray said. Playing more than one sport may become impossible, and Lt exercise, Although Gray likes the busy physical therapy and rest shape, gets you aspect of sports, she doesn't like become a major obstacle for lse, is fun and the time consuming part. the habitually busy students. ;et new people," "Sometimes (sports) interfere Harmon, who played two ler, technology with my social and homework sports in the same season, cross "You also get time," Gray said. country and soccer, for most of awesome you Sports can be a great social her high school career, recently your skills outlet too. Athletes can make had to cut back because of an your ability a friends and bond jt e r common injury. . M t of a team interests. Being a ¿Sd >open UPES training pays off for athletes "Players are made during the offseason. Teams are made dur ing the season," Ely said. The girls' team has a similar schedule. A swim team member _ There are more ways to train for a sport in the off-season than play ing it. When it comes to weight training, football and lacrosse are the teams which have the most * Solveig Lee and Erika Busch, juniors, practice lacrosse at open field held after school on Wednesdays on the football field. Last year, the lacrosse team had a great 7-1 preseason but lost in its first game of the playoffs. Photo:by Sarah Chicoine- who wishes to remain anony mous disagrees. They said they swam for a club in Lake Oswego over the summer. The swimmer said it the improvement gained was not worth the amount of work and intrusion into free time. off-season workouts. Lacrosse has had scheduled weight train ing workouts after school since the end of September. Lacrosse starts in February and like basketball’s open gym time, it has open field time for lacrosse. During the summer, there are lo- cal camps for players from West Linn and other schools. Football players usually work out in the weight room year round whether in class, during early bird or during free time after school. There are many camps during the off-season for lineman and skill position players and two weeks of spring practice before school gets out. The team also travels together to Vemonia for a weekend camp. During the summer, there are linem an skills dates, daily weight training and running workouts and camps scheduled weekly. For the skill position players, there are weekly pass ing league games scheduled, where another school will play against the team in a pass only and no linemen game. "I would say summer is the most important because (football) starts right after it. The work really helps," Erik Koczian, junior, said. Cross country and track run ners paticipate in winter track. It gives them an opportunity to run with others and follow a program to keep them in shape. During the summer, people who want to run get together at Mary S. Young State Park, the Cross Country team's home course. Soccer leagues go on through out the year, indoor and out door. They also have open field during the summer each week as well as a camp held the week before team tryouts. Demanding sports commitments put pressure on athletes' lives £ At a game against arch rival Lake Oswego High School, the pressure is intense. Student athletes undergo tremendous pressure at games where the competition is high. Photo by Cole Fiala "The deal was when I got injured I could only play one sport per season," Harmon said. Tommy Patrick, junior, plays football and basketball, and feels that sports help him manage his time better. "It also helps make me be more responsible for my actions," Patrick said. He doesn't really feel pressure from his peers and coaches. "I play for the team. The coaches just want you to do well," Patrick said. He believes that there is healthy competition between teammates. "The players push each other at practices to do better," Patrick said. Playing sports along with balancing school and a personal life, can take its toll during the season, but for many athletes it is worthwhile. "I love being out there and playing with my friends. It is just fun," Patrick said.
