Although most people picture Dartmouth athletes constantly decked out in uniform, game ready and prepped to crush a fellow Ivy in league play, the reality of life as an athlete is honestly more determined by “off” seasons than “on” seasons. Competition generally only spans one term, but off-season training is all-encompassing and year-round.
While being in-season can cause many people to inaccurately assume that I am off for the term, the chance to compete helps to lessen the sting of being socially irrelevant. Off-season training, however, requires much of the same commitment without the glory.
One of the biggest differences for my team in and out of season is how often we find ourselves genuinely worked by our lift coaches in Floren Varsity House. In the off-season, Floren is transformed into something ominous. Instead of the friendly roll out and light weight lifts that we are graced with during the season, off-season lifts can be genuinely painful. Our coaches push us without worrying if soreness will impede us in competition which translates to more stiff classes and difficult walks across the Green.
Because I was walking on to the squash team, I trained a lot before my freshman year. I had enrolled in a sports medicine training program at a local hospital’s physical therapy department where they had a sprint treadmill and a full gym.
I felt way too confident walking into Floren for my first lift. I thought there was nothing the DP2 program could throw at me that I had not seen before. The next day, however, my hamstrings and calves were not entirely sure that they would survive another lift ever again, let alone a day later. Shockingly, I survived that next lift and, to varying degrees, every lift thereafter.
While lifting often has a masculine connotation, rest assured that women’s teams lift just as much as the men’s. I know this first and foremost because the men’s and women’s squash teams share a lift coach and time slot for the first time this term. Aside from a proportional change in weights, both teams do the same exercises — and we might even do them with a little less whining!
Outside of lifting in Floren, off-season training also incorporates skill practice. Whether through captains’ practices or pick up games, we spend as much time on the court as possible. Because we usually drill for most of our in-season practices, we try to boost the entertainment factor of off-season court time. Recently, this has involved playing a lot of doubles. The fast pace and quick movements involved in squash can often make the court feel congested in a normal, singles match. Add two more people and it becomes almost comically close-quartered. While this might not be our most intense or safest training session, friendly competition often helps remind me why I love the game and my team.
The final place we find ourselves training in the off season is often the most intimidating arena for athletes: Zimmerman Fitness Center. While we may joke that non-varsity athletes at Dartmouth are unathletic, a glance around campus proves this isn’t true. The rugged Hanover campus has historically attracted equally rugged individuals, many of whom were dedicated athletes in high school. There is no other place on campus where I am forced to come to terms with the reality that many “NARPs” may actually be more athletic than I am.
One of these ego-crushing moments happened last week in a one-way competition with the treadmill runner next to me. After cruising at what I consider a fairly good pace for a half-mile I was joined to my right by someone who I know is not a varsity athlete. She hopped on the treadmill at a pace that made my run seem more like a jog. My competitive instinct immediately kicked in, and I turned up my speed to match hers: a fatal error. After limping along for another mile, I admitted defeat and slinked off to do “abs” which really translated to laying on the ground trying to recover.
Whether being humbled in Floren by our strength coaches or in Zimmerman by our classmates, the off-season is a time for breaking down and building up. With off-season training, being an athlete is essentially a full-time job. And we’re thankful because the off-season practice allows us to compete at our highest level, even if, without it, our muscles wouldn’t be quite so sore.
Inside the Locker Room is a weekly column, alternately written by Phoebe Hoffmann ’15 and Sarah Caughey ’15.
