Some students look forward to break to get away from everything having to do with school. However, student-athletes still have to get to school and practice for their sport, sacrificing part of their break. 

Freshman basketball coach Todd Terry believes these practices hold a great importance.

“These are probably the most important practices of the year,” Coach Terry said. “We get to perfect the things we learned the first few weeks of the season. [It] gives the players a chance to become much more comfortable in all of our schemes.”

While these practices can be important, some athletes disagree with having them.

“I feel as if we should not have them,” Sophomore cheerleader Kourtney Inman said. “This is a school sport and we are off school, so we shouldn’t have practice. But it’s needed to help us succeed.”

While some athletes would prefer not to practice over break, others believe they are needed.

“Attending practice over break is very important because it helps you keep in shape while you have time off,” junior wrestler Ian Carroll said. “I don’t see any drawbacks to practicing over break.”

Getting the team focused for practices can bring a challenge of its own, according to Coach Terry

“It’s very love/hate.  Some kids love to be there and working out, but others would rather be out hanging with their friends,” Coach Terry said. “It definitely makes it tough sometimes because some players aren’t mentally there at practice.”

To compensate for the lack of attention given at practices, some coaches have turned to offering rewards for hard practices.

“Sometimes it’s as simple as less running at the end of practice, but also could be an extra team dinner,” Coach Terry said. “Rewarding the players seems to be the best motivator.”

Some players try to keep a positive mindset in order to get through the practices. 

“To keep my intensity, I remember that I want to be the best for me and my team,” Inman said, “so we can do great, and have fun doing what we love.”

Although these practices can be hard, coaches believe these seem to be some of the most important practices of the year.

“I believe winter break practices are vital not only to a team’s success but also to a player’s knowledge of the game,” Coach Terry said. “Everything done over break is about becoming better at everything we’ve worked on in the first few weeks.”