The Grueling Preseason

      Hard work is something that comes with the life of an athlete. Whether that means putting in extra work in the off-season or making sure you are pushing yourself the practice before a game it is crucial that you make sure to put your best foot forward. Yet, that is not always the easiest thing to do. For example, this upcoming week is the beginning of basketball lifting and conditioning for my team and me. This means we are working out and conditioning or playing open-gym six days of the week. I can assure you it will not always be easy to put my best foot forward. There will be times where I contemplate slowing down and taking a break because it is the easy thing to do. I mean, some of you reading this may be marathon runners but I am not ashamed to tell you that I am not. Therefore, when we line up to run the two and a half mile, which has been dubbed the green monster, I will likely not be in the greatest frame of mind. However, because I have been involved in sports all my life I know the most important thing about preseason workouts and conditioning; it's worth it.

Yes, it is hard and there is no doubt that it sucks, but it prepares you for the season and allows you to spend time with your teammates. Personally, I have never heard of a successful team who did not partake in some sort of preseason workout. Also, it allows you to reach your best physical shape before you begin doing what really matters in athletics, and that is the games. Playing in a game is like watching everything around you freeze as you partake in the most meaningful performance of a lifetime. Nothing else matters between the lines and it is just you and your team battling it out against the opposition. It is a true masterpiece that I try to never take for granted. The games are the reason I work so hard, put my best foot forward and try to not complain during preseason workouts (keyword: try). So, I hope this post, if it has done nothing else, will at least inspire any athlete, myself included, to make it through what is sure to be a long, grueling preseason.