From hours of practice each day, to long weekend tournaments, it’s no question that being a high school athlete takes dedication. The work it takes to get that game winning goal or pass doesn’t happen overnight. With many fall sports seasons coming to a close at Fargo North, senior varsity golfer Abby Medler talked about the effort it took to get to the state competition, how it went for her, and what she’s taking away from it all.
Playing a sport in high school, especially at the varsity level, is no small commitment. Athletes train for hours a day to be in top shape for competition. When asked about her training schedule, Abby talked about preparation for state.
“Monday through Friday I practiced for anywhere between an hour to two hours. Saturday I had a practice round of 9 holes, and Sunday I relaxed. I practice a little more on the weekends to help prepare for a tournament or state.”
Finding a balance between practice and relaxation is a key component for many athletes. Competing can bring about negative stress and thoughts that aren’t helpful to an athlete. Abby talked about dealing with comparison, golf being a sport that goes well some days, and not so well on others.
“Golfing every day can have a negative effect on my mental health. I start comparing my good days to my bad days the more I play, but it’s not too bad. I did good the first day of state and not so good the second day. I blame the exhaustion.”
Many athletes are known to do special exercises or eat in a certain way before a competition. Adding in more carbs and whole foods have been found to help improve performance in some sports. Abby talked about what she does as a high school athlete to prepare, including things that are a little different from her normal routine.
“I don’t really do anything special to prepare. I try to eat a little healthier during the season to stay in the best shape I can. More water, less empty sugars and such.”
After the competition, reflecting and celebrating the work an athlete did is important. Whether they won or lost, recognizing all the work that went into preparing for a competition is crucial to remembering why a sport is important to a person in the first place. Although Abby didn’t do as well at state as she may have wanted, she realized that recognizing her hard work and not being so hard on herself was the most productive way to continue on with life.
“I think the biggest takeaway was that no matter how bad you think you’re doing through the round, you’re really not doing that bad. I would probably try to be less hard on myself, because I really didn’t do too bad.”