Because sporting events have been postponed this school year due to COVID-19, athletes and coaches have had to adapt in order to stay prepared for when they are able to play again. From cell phone applications to music playlists, athletes have been finding many ways to battle the ever-existing lack of motivation to work out.

Twin sophomores Gabbie and Catie Tassinari are on the volleyball team, which normally would have started having games by now. However, this year, they couldn’t start in-person training until just recently. 

“The head coach tried to do [a] Zoom workout… but it didn’t work out very well,” Gabbie said.

After the Zoom-led workout was unsuccessful, the volleyball program started utilizing the app BridgeTracker as a way for the coach to post workouts. The Tassinari twins said that they try to keep each other accountable in completing their assigned workouts. 

La Salle’s summer P.E. course and the weight training classes have also resorted to apps for assigning workouts. The summer P.E. course used a training app called Volt, and the weight training classes are currently using the Team Builder app.

Kelli Wedin, the head coach of the girls basketball team at La Salle, prefers the Nike training app. She also enjoys keeping in shape by hiking at Scouters Mountain with her daughters, sophomore Ella Wedin and senior Addi Wedin. 

Currently, the girls basketball team can only practice drills rather than scrimmaging as they usually would, but the team is still making an effort to stay in shape. “We’re not going to get ready,” Coach Wedin said. “We’re going to stay ready.”

While some teams, including soccer and cross country, were fortunate enough to hold socially distanced camps and conditionings later in the summer, there was a period towards the beginning of the pandemic when athletes were unable to practice due to safety restrictions. 

Because gyms have been closed and many practices have been cancelled, many people have been getting exercise by walking through their neighborhoods.

Junior Murphy Schuster, who is on the cross country team, enjoys taking his dog for jogs. “I feel like it’s pretty boring to go out and run by yourself,” he said.

Many athletes use music as a way to kick their adrenaline into gear. Sophomore Carson Frick, who plays basketball, listens to 60s and 70s music while working out. Catie usually listens to pop when working out, and sophomore Brenna Marcela, who is a member of the girls soccer team, has many playlists ready for whatever mood she is in. 

While many athletes have been able to find ways to stay active despite the seasons that have been postponed, some say that they are looking forward to the days when they can practice again normally.

“It’s definitely harder because one of the best parts about practicing with people [is that] you have your teammates to push you and make sure you’re working hard,” Frick said.

Schuster echoed this statement. 

“At the end of the day it’s really just fun to get out there and run with your buddies,” he said.