Come winter time, many North student-athletes are getting up earlier than other students. 

 They are getting up, putting on their athletic clothes. They are heading to school to work out. Most conditioning or weights sessions take place in the morning, some start as early as 6 a.m. Athletes want to put in the work, and this is the perfect opportunity to do it without cutting into homework time or time to hang with friends after school. 

Spring sports conditioning usually starts in December or January. Some sports also hold open gyms for athletes. This is used as an opportunity for athletes to get in shape or work on skill preceding their season. 

For track athletes, there’s no 6 a.m. workout session, but they do have a time for conditioning. Coach Jeff Roudebush said that the focus during their off season is speed.

“We begin in January for all sprinters, jumpers, vaulters, hurdlers and any other athlete that wants to participate,” Roudebush said. “It is open to all students here at North regardless of sport. These sessions are Monday and Thursday after school and usually run for 6-8 weeks.”

For freshman softball player Anna Hathaway getting back in the swing of sports, she hopes that conditioning will kickstart her into a new season.

“I definitely think that the training will boost my confidence because I’ll know I’m giving it my best,” Hathaway said. “I really want to get back into doing sports again and the first step to that is putting in the work. If you want something you have to give it 100 percent.” 

Football also has conditioning in the winter. Coach Luke Rampy said there are multiple benefits to lifting at 6 a.m. 

     “You have to be mentally tough to wake up at 5:15 and not hit the snooze button and sleep in,” Rampy said. “Athletics not only requires a physical strength, but a mental toughness as well. Sports and competition was not just some hobby I did part time. I had a mentality that no one was going to outwork me. Until high school kids buy into this concept, they will never be anything more than just a high school athlete. The formula for winning is very simple. Do the right thing and do it all the time.”