Sports are a constant in the school year, taking up a huge portion of athletes’ time every season. Yet, to stay on top of their game, athletes must also consistently train in the summer. No matter the sport, no matter the season, it is imperative that athletes continue to train in the summer.

Junior Sammy Gramlich has been on varsity soccer for the entirety of his high school career. Gramlich is looking to play in college. As a goalie, Gramlich’s training is slightly different from other players on his team. During the summer, he will be training with multiple private goalie coaches, possibly the Sherwood soccer coach, and another coach from Greensboro College.

“I am also trying to find a U23 team to play with over the summer,” Gramlich said.

In addition to these trainings, not affiliated with the school, Gramlich, will also be attending captain practices with his school team during the summer.

“It’s really important to stay in shape and continue to play during the summer, because we want to get right into the season when we come back for the fall,” Gramlich said.

Soccer isn’t the only school sport that holds these captains’ practices. Junior varsity basketball player, Daniel Elijones, will also attend captain practices, five days a week. In addition to basketball, he is on track and football, and will also attend their training.

“Training can get in the way of a lot of summer plans, while we are allowed to miss some, most people choose not to,” Elijones said.

Summer is supposed to be a time to relax, but it can quickly become a very busy time, especially for athletes. Diving captain, junior Arya Gupta, is on the school affiliated diving team.

“I am training five days a week in the water and outside the water I am training for three days a week,” Gupta said.

In addition to constant training, Gupta is also working two jobs. This makes for an incredibly busy summer, working approximately 40 hours a week while training nearly everyday.

School football also does training nearly everyday in the summer. Their practice is every morning where they lift and do 7 v 7 scrimmages.

“While this training is technically optional, if you want to get playing time, you must attend the summer workouts,” a junior player said.

While it is very important to stay in shape, especially for athletes looking to play in college, training can make summer a stressful and busy time when it is supposed to be a break.

“I don’t want to go on vacation, it interferes with consistently working out, which can lead to injuries,” Gramlich said.