In particular, the members of the Dartmouth track and field team have benefited from the practice-free schedule of sophomore summer. Since the team competes in the winter and spring seasons and prepares for its season in the fall, sophomore summer is the first chance these athletes have had to enjoy life at Dartmouth without practice.
The members of the track team have capitalized on their free time by spending more time with friends, particularly those outside of the track team. During the season, the track team members have minimal time to spend with people outside of their sport. This summer, however, many of the athletes have found that they now have much more time to bond with their brothers in their respective Greek organizations.
Lee Murtha '09, a thrower on the track and field team, has enjoyed the extra time he has at his disposal.
"It's definitely nice to be able to hang out," Murtha said. "The fall off-season program is actually tougher than the winter and spring seasons, so it's really nice to be able to be out of season for once."
Teammate Dave Berman '09, a sprinter, echoed Murtha's sentiments. Much of the time that Berman now has is spent hanging out at Psi Upsilon fraternity, where he is a brother. Berman commented on how sophomore summer has enabled him to hang out at his fraternity much more than during the regular school year.
"I've been spending a lot of the free time that I have in Psi U in the basement and stuff," Berman said. "It's really nice to finally be able to hang out a lot, and it's been a lot of fun to be able to spend time around people that you couldn't during the season because there wasn't enough time. The season is really year-round. It sometimes feels like it never ends."
This past year, Murtha and Berman worked through a demanding schedule that left little free time. Between academics, athletics, and pledging Psi U, there was little time left to do other things. Both athletes were able to manage their respective schedules, but doing so meant that they had to forego many social opportunities.
While the team does not hold formal practices during the summer months, members of the team are given workouts to do on an individual basis. For example, Berman has a workout plan that consists of four to five miles of running followed by a lifting session that is done four times a week in order to stay in good condition.
"It's nothing compared to what we do in season," Berman said.
According to Murtha, it is the individual's responsibility to get the summer workouts done. Since the workouts are harder to complete individually, Murtha commented that he does long for the in-season practices where camaraderie is more prevalent.
"These summer workouts are done at our own discretion, because the coaches aren't really allowed to make us do stuff during the summer months," Murtha said. "We just get workouts that we're supposed to do on our own. There is pressure to do these workouts but not as much as compared to practices in season."
While there is no doubt that both athletes enjoy being a part of the track team, it seems that they are enjoying their time away from the sport.
"During the season, I couldn't really go out much," Berman said. "It's practice five times a week followed by a meet on Saturday, so I didn't have much time for anything else. I'm definitely enjoying the extra four hours a day that I have for myself."
