Studies have shown that playing multiple sports helps athletes develop unique physical skills, but those who participate in sports in back-to-back seasons are also faced with unique challenges.
The Hawklets had a successful fall sports season. Swim and dive won their fourth straight state championship, soccer three-peated like the Shaq and Kobe Lakers, cross country was the state runner-up and football came within one week of the state championship.
But all this success came with a catch. With the exception of those who ran cross country in the fall, multi-sport athletes were forced to miss the early stages of their winter sports seasons. Winter sports officially began in late October, but swim and dive did not conclude their season until Nov. 11. Soccer’s season ended a week later on Nov. 18, and football did not end until the day after Thanksgiving.
The transition was especially difficult for football players, as they only had a few days to get into game shape.
For Thomas Coppinger, who plays basketball and football, getting into basketball shape comes with some obstacles.
“It’s tough because I’m still dealing with some soreness from the football season,” Coppinger said. “The football guys are just going to take a week off to let our bodies recover before we jump right into basketball.”
Coppinger also recognizes that basketball requires completely different abilities than football.
“It’s probably going to take me a few games before I feel comfortable on the floor,” he said. “Basketball is more of a long-distance sport, so I have to make sure I’m ready for it.”
Senior Teddy Franke, on the other hand, made the transition from soccer to hockey. Franke missed the first few weeks of the hockey season due to soccer’s state championship run. Franke recognizes that it will take time to get comfortable on the ice.
“The transition from soccer to hockey is pretty tough,” Franke said. “It takes me a couple weeks to get used to moving on the ice compared to just running.”
Franke says the transition is especially challenging due to the different movement patterns required in the two sports.
“Hockey’s conditioning is totally different from soccer because of the way skating burns your whole body,” he said.
Senior Robert Purcell’s transition from football to wrestling was an abrupt one. After losing the state semifinal game, Purcell was competing on the mat five days later. Purcell, however, is optimistic about his ability to adjust.
“Football and wrestling are different in a lot of ways, but they also have a few things in common,” Purcell said. “Wrestling and football have a similar physicality to them.”
Purcell added that the most challenging part of the transition will be to get into better shape.
“In football, you get small breaks in between plays, but in wrestling, you could be out there for minutes at a time.”
Although the schedules of multi-sport athletes can be taxing, Coppinger says that it is worth it.
“At the end of the day, we do it because we love it,” he said. “Sometimes being busy is a good thing.”
