This Spring Break was exactly what a senior-year Spring Break should be. I went to Puerto Rico with 12 friends and came back with 30. I got tan without getting badly burnt. I only felt five drops of rain the entire time (probably from an errant spray by a Super Soaker at Señor Frogs).
And I even came up with the perfect workout regime. Halfway through my banana boat ride last Wednesday, as I attempted to pull myself back on the raft for the 10th time, it occurred to me that sitting on top of an inflated banana while a boat pulls you through the ocean at about 15 mph really wears you out. And then if you couple that with a few rounds of Prokadima (paddle ball for you laymen), the occasional game of football or a couple of swims out to the buoy, you have one intense workout.
Of course, this workout never would have passed in my playing days, but this was my first non-athlete spring break. The first time I didn’t have to come back to fitness tests and heavy lifting. But some time during my daily happy hour trips I thought about what it would have been like if I had played a spring sport.
While I sipped on my pina colada, somewhere in North Carolina the women’s lacrosse team was downing Gatorade. While I fought to not fall off the banana boat, somewhere in South Carolina the crew team was gliding through the water. While I attempted to obtain the perfect suntan, somewhere in Florida the softball team was trying desperately to avoid a farmer’s tan.
These teams are the real alternate spring breakers. They don’t get to party. They get few days to relax. And there’s always that pressure to do well. They do get to travel to warmer climates and they get to spend a week with the same people they would likely go with on their breaks. But they still have to wake up early and practice or play games all day.
The women’s lacrosse team opened their spring break with a game versus the College of William ‘ Mary. Then they drove to the University of North Carolina where they practiced for the whole week. They ate breakfast, hung out, had about three hours of practice, hung out some more and occasionally watched some film in the afternoons. This pattern continued until their game against UNC on Saturday. At least they went out with a bang, beating the third-ranked team in the nation.
The crew team headed down to Clemson University in South Carolina, where the rowers trained for the entire week. They were up before 7 a.m. to eat breakfast. They practiced in the morning for about three hours, ate lunch, maybe napped and then practice for another two more hours until dinnertime.
The softball team flew down to Florida. While the players did get to enjoy the beach for a couple of days, they spent the majority of their time playing games. The team competed in 12 games during the week, 10 of those coming in tournaments. Throughout their entire break they only had two days without games.
So why would anyone possibly give up the chance to drink Medalla Light on the beach for a week of hard work and pain? Because these athletes really enjoy what they do.
“We definitely miss out on the traditional spring break, but we all play cause we love the sport,” said Molly Rogers, a senior on the lacrosse team.
Mike Sugar, a senior on the men’s crew team, said that his team’s trip is very exhausting, but always a good experience. “But it would be nice to go to Cabo,” he said.
These athletes not only give up their free time on school days for practice and lifting, but they also sacrifice their vacation time in order to improve their chances for success. Not to mention this week of hard work is the equivalent to a paid vacation. These teams have free travel fare, free board and most importantly, free food for a whole week.
Susan Marschall, a senior in the College of Communication is a weekly columnist for The Daily Free Press. She can be reached at [email protected].
