By: Jacob Curry, The Circuit
When the school year ends, Raven athletes take advantage of their summers to prepare for next year’s season.
The offseason leads many athletes back home where they will find a summer job and a place to work on their craft.
“I would work eight to ten hours a day, and after I finished work, I would go to the field for batting practice and field work,” said Junior Second Baseman for Raven baseball, Austin Watamaniuk.
Summer months also give athletes time to not only work on physical goals, but it also allows them time to reset and become better mentally.
“Last season, I went through a little bit of a slump, but I feel as though it was more mental than physical,
Watamaniuk said. “The last couple of months I was able to rest and get better focus on my goals this year.”
Across all sports, athletes spend their free time to make strides to become better when their number is called in game.
“I used the summer to get better with stick skill and my ball handling abilities,” said Megan Ostrander, sophomore Defender for women’s lacrosse. “As a defender, I don’t usually have the chance to score often, but I would still like to be a better overall player.”
But of course, the free time from school still leaves athletes with time for vacation and a chance to relax before the school year starts back up.
“I spent a lot time on the lake this summer, it was just fun to get out in the sun and not worry about school work,” said Lily Ross, senior infielder for Raven softball.
With every new year also brings in the chance to set a new bar for the season and the opportunity to set new self-goals.
“A personal goal for myself this year is to start all 55 games in the spring,” Ross said. “As a team goal, I would like to see us have a win percentage of over .750 and win the post season conference tournament.”
Follow all Raven athletics across all sports at www.ravenathletics.com.
