As the fall sports season ends, the practices, tournaments and matches that a student-athlete had during their season were immediately cut off. Not only did their time with friends that they have developed over the season change, but their entire schedules changed along with it. The season for competition is over- it’s training season now.

During the past four months, the student-athletes that play in the fall have been strenuously practicing and competing their best, whether it be in the gym, court or field. Now that their season is over, these athletes’ daily schedules and lives have changed drastically, as well as their perspectives towards their training. Their performance next season is shaped through the regimens that they will pursue during this time.

“Our league is the most competitive league probably in Northern California,” Granite Bay High School athletic director Tim Healy said. “If you’re trying to compete with the very best people in their sport, then you have to try and keep up with them.”

With the high demands to stay in the top for many teams and individuals, the practices that these players have during the season is not enough, and the off-season is a great time to grow in both skill and teamwork.

“I think of (the offseason) more as a change in focus because I get to work on my technique more and go at my own pace, whereas during the season it’s all about preparation and game management,” freshman Serene Kim said, a girls varsity golf team player. 

As the off-season starts, many athletes, including Kim, use this time to develop the abilities that they cannot do during the quick-tempo season. Kim intends to continue honing in her skills and strength for the 2024-25 season as a sophomore.

Carson Perry-Smith, a varsity football captain and senior at GBHS has continuously grown as a player throughout his four years being on the Grizzlies’ football team, by constantly refining his game during the offseason not just for himself, but for the team as well. 

“(Last season) I wanted to be a good teammate … and play this season without regrets, and I feel like I was able to accomplish that,” Perry-Smith said. “(Accomplishing this) just makes for a better team synergy that helps us win games.”

The results that Perry-Smith was striving for did not just improve himself, but his teammates as well. The Grizzlies made it to the quarterfinals of the CIF San Joaquin Section Championships and had an 0.8 win percentage at home.

The GBHS Athletics teams and coaches support their athletes in guiding them towards the right path during this extended period to further enhance their results for the upcoming seasons.

“Currently, I’ll be focusing on the younger (students) of the club … We’re always working on skill development and then during the summer we work on game knowledge and then try and put it all together during the season,” Damien Lawrence said, a biology teacher and a water polo coach.

Through these off-season training sessions, the Grizzlies’ water polo team hope to become 1st in their league and make it back to the CIF San Joaquin Section Championships Semifinal once again not only for next season, but for future seasons as well. 

“I would argue that being a well-rounded individual creates a more balanced human being that values a multitude of things,” Healy said, adding onto the value of the off-season and the rest that it provides athletes. “(The more well-rounded you are,) the better you are in regards to your rest, your focus, your energy, all those things that are directly related to a balanced life. I think you’re going to be a significantly more efficient athlete.” 

After countless years of observing student-athletes as the athletic director, Healy concluded that finding a balance between practicing a sport and spending time away from it would generate the growth that they are looking for in the most productive way.

“Do you have the perseverance and the grit and the determination to go apply yourself when no one else is around?” Healy said “I would argue that if you do, you’re probably going to be pretty good at whatever you pursue.”