Spring 2021: Sports Prep & Tips!
As Spring starts to roll in, the students at Notre Dame begin to transition into deciding which sports to participate in for the rest of the school year. From the vast selection of sports they can choose from, students also have to adapt to fit a new extracurricular into their schedule. Kaia Pang ‘21, a senior, is participating in track this year. Pang states that ever since practice started, her schedule is “packed to the max and has practice every day till 7:30 pm.” When asked about the school workload, Pang said, “I start homework later now and limit the time on my phone.” Not only did her schedule change, but she also had to balance schoolwork and practice. Here is what Pang says about her preparation before practice: “I have a checklist on my phone of my essential track items (shoes, water, roller, spikes, rain jacket, and sweats) I also like to drink a lot of water throughout the day so that I'm not dehydrated and eat a small meal before so that I'm not working out on an empty stomach.” Pang participates in many sports because of her passion for it and she also has some advice for other students who are unsure if joining a team is right for them. She says, “Join. I love sports and especially at ND because your team is your second family and become some of your best friends…. it is a time where I can clear my mind to focus on the present rather than tests in the future… one can never learn until they try so just try it and if the sport or timing doesn't work out, it's not meant to be.”
For those that are in spring sports, here are some tips for you and your schedule.
Procrastination: To prevent procrastination, make sure to plan ahead and understand what you are going to do with your time. Avoid distracting yourself by putting your phone on “Do Not Disturb” and closing all unnecessary tabs.
Prioritize: To make sure your schedule is doable, schedule high-priority assignments first and the low-priority next. Creating time slots for each assignment will help with assignment pacing, which prevents spending too much time on the assignment.
Get your body prepared: Drink a lot of water and eat wisely. Making healthy choices in food intake can ensure that high-protein and healthy meals fill your body before practice. Cutting back on sugar and fatty foods will make your body more energized. Something else important to prepare your body is to stretch, stretching is essential to sports because it loosens and warms up your muscles. If you don’t stretch, then you’ll most likely pull or even tear your muscle! Ouch!
All in all, these are only some of the many tips out there to get ready for sports, so make sure to treat your body right and do your best!
