In the midst of winter, the weight room is filled with spring sport athletes twice a week for their pre-season training. Although their seasons do not start until March, many spring sports have pre-seasons for their athletes to help them stay fit and competitive, junior CeCe Durow, Girls’ Varsity Soccer player, said.

Many spring sports have pre-seasons starting as early as September, Travis Myers, School Counselor and Head Varsity Baseball Coach, said. Baseball’s first pre-season lift was Sept. 16, although their season will not start until March 2, Myers said. All students in the baseball program, or students interested in it, can come to the pre-season workouts, Myers said. Lifts are not mandatory, though there is an expectation that athletes should attend the lifts if there is no conflict, Myers said.

“Pre-season gives athletes an opportunity to develop strength and speed, which is important no matter the sport,” Myers said. “It also gets us to do difficult things together as a team, so we build that culture of trust.”

Although many students have other commitments before and after school, such as club meetings and travel sport teams unaffiliated with South, pre-season training does not pose much of a conflict, junior Charlie Lind, Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse player, said. Since students who are in-season for another sport go to regular lifts and practices for that sport, they are exempted from pre-season lifts, Lind said.

After Thanksgiving break, many spring sports, such as girls’ soccer, will hold open gyms that include scrimmages, Durow said. Open gyms are available to all high school athletes and show coaches how each athlete plays. Additionally, open gyms allow the players to get to know their potential teammates, Durow added.

“Open gyms are a good way to meet incoming freshmen and create a relationship with them,” Durow said. “You can see the skill level of incoming players, get to know faces, and build relationships with people from other teams.”

Schools may use their facilities to provide open gyms for students, as long as there is no instruction provided by the coaches, according to the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) handbook. Because of the hands-off policy the coaches adhere to, students often take on a leadership role and get to lead the open gyms similar to how practices would run, Nick Woodworth, Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse Assistant Head Coach and Instructional Supervisor for Special Education, said.

“We like to see student athletes taking charge and teach younger athletes,” Woodworth said. “It brings the team together.”