The work never stops

Women’s rowing and women’s basketball keep up fitness over the summer

Mari Olson / Sports Editor / The USD Vista

For most athletes, training doesn’t stop once the final game’s whistle blows, once the last race of the season finishes, or when they take their last final and school is out for the summer. Collegiate athletics is a year-round commitment, but it’s one that most athletes are happy to work through.

Summer training looks different for every athlete. Some teams, particularly those with seasons in the fall or winter, usually have a pre-season during the summer. Athletes come to San Diego and train together as a group to get ready for their upcoming seasons. Most athletes playing spring sports will often train on their own over the summer, either at home or on campus. 

For USD sophomore, Emma McIntyre on the women’s rowing team, summer training began almost immediately after she got home. After a close second-place finish to Gonzaga at West Coast Conference championships, McIntyre took one week off to rest and recuperate, and then started rowing again for her summer club in Philadelphia.

For five mornings a week from June through August, McIntyre got up before five a.m. to make sure she stayed in shape.

“It was kind of really early for me but rowing in San Diego got me ready for that,” she said.

Once summer practice ended, McIntyre switched to training on her own, incorporating a mix of cardio, weights and yoga, which she does for mindfulness. 

“Mindfulness is super important in summer training because when you’re doing it by yourself it’s easy to lose that motivation,” she said. “Just to keep this mindset that all is going to turn out for good when fall comes around and when you’re back with your teammates.”

Motivation is probably the most challenging aspect of summer training, particularly when athletes are on their own. One of the other strategies McIntyre used to avoid burnout and keep herself motivated was journaling.

“I wrote down some goals in the beginning of the summer, fresh off spring season, and highlighted the main ones,” she shared. 

When it got hard to get up early, she thought back to the goals she’d written down.

McIntyre is most excited about getting back to campus for the fall and meeting up with her teammates. 

“It’s one thing to train by yourself; I can’t wait to motivate my other teammates, and to see where everybody’s at and where I’m at,” she said.

USD first-year, Kylie Horstmeyer on the women’s basketball team has had a slightly different experience with summer training. The basketball team has a pre-season over the summer, so Horstmeyer has been in San Diego since June practicing with her team. Their training schedule  includes weights and conditioning, open-shoot opportunities, and hour-long practices three days a week.

Since basketball season doesn’t start for a couple of months, scrimmages are a highlight for Horstmeyer. “With our hour-long practices we’re getting to play a lot of five on five, so I’m loving those,” she said.

Prioritizing basketball and workouts is the most important thing for Horstmeyer when it comes to balancing her summer training with other summer plans. But, since her teammates are all in San Diego, they often find ways to spend time together as well. 

“Usually after a workout or a practice we go to the beach or the pool, and it’s pretty nice because I’m not taking a summer class so I feel like I have a lot of time,” she said.

For Horstmeyer, having her teammates around her is what motivated her the most over the summer. 

“We’re all really excited to be here and really excited to work hard so that’s a motivating factor,” she said.

With all the work Horstmeyer and her teammates are putting in this summer, the upcoming basketball season is sure to be a good one. 

“I’m excited to compete with my team and work hard to strive for a WCC championship,” Horstmeyer said. 

Summer training can be one of the most important and one of the hardest times of a collegiate athlete’s year, outside of the actual season and championship games. 

Maintaining base fitness and even continuing to build strength and speed over a three-month period, largely on your own, is a tough job. USD’s athletes have done a wonderful job this summer of doing just that, and the upcoming year of athletics will certainly benefit from it.