Cyprus Track Team started their pre-season training on January 3, 2024 .  Their training was held at the Cyprus Main campus.  Sometimes their training was in the weight room, but any chance they got to be outside, they took it.  

These athletes had training at 2:30 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays, as well as 6:00 am on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Although these workouts were optional Coach Wolff said “We had an amazing turn out of attendance, about 50 kids every morning practice.”

Track has been a sport in Cyprus for many years, so what makes this year's track season different from any other year? Coach Wolff mentioned that what makes this year's pre-season different is “more consistency” and “great attendance.”  The workouts that best prepare these students for the season and get the athletes consistent are, general conditioning, stairs, hall sprints, and high intensity interval training (HIIT.) 

Pre season allows kids to get to know each other, understand team expectations, get the kids in routine of being there, being on time. Coach Wolff enforced a new “NO swearing” policy.  Along with policy, kids are able to learn the behavior expectations.  Pre-season also just helps the athletes get in shape for the season.

As any sport, injury can be a factor. With the pre-season training, Coach Wolff involves mobility workouts, and recovery tips for at home, and at practice. Wolff recommends her athletes to do things for their benefit at home too. She says she tells her athletes to “ice when needed, stretch, hydrate, eat well, and most importantly, recover.” Coach Wolff has even gone as far as to make her female students in competitive athletes a meal plan for them to follow.

Ella Burbidge does shot-put. Her goal this season is to reach 30 feet. She says this year's pre-season training will help her because the training involved more plyometrics jumping, and more exercises to build explosiveness.

Ella would attend pre-season training 4-6 times a week. Ella’s grind didn’t stop when the school stopped though.  Ella bought a shotput and discus for herself to train at home.  She worked on hip mobility and core. Along with physical training, she worked on diet. 

Ella recommends pre-season training because it conditions you mentally and physically.  Ella says the mental training is you getting used to being at practice and seeing everyone’s routine. She says the physical training gets you already in shape once the season comes. “Although it was a lot of hard work, we got to listen to music, hang out, and push each other to work harder, and reach our goals,” Ella says. 

You guys will be able to see this hard work pay off at the first Cyprus Track Team Meet on March 13, 2024 at Taylorsville at 3:15 pm.