Ah, spring break.
A time to kick back, relax and enjoy a worry-free week.
Unless you’re a coach.
Dolores, Mancos and Dove Creek had their scheduled spring breaks last week, and Montezuma-Cortez was on its spring break this week.
And while some local athletes may have the luxury of traveling to a faraway beach and trading their track spikes for sandals, some coaches worry about how a week off will affect their team
“It can be a concern,” said M-CHS head girls soccer coach Nate Ross. “Because in the matter of a week you can lose a whole month of training. But the girls that I have are disciplined, and I usually give them an earful on what they should be doing as far as staying in shape and trying to keep up on their fitness.”
With the break, the Lady Panthers have 10 days between games. But Ross plans to hold practice for three days over the week off so that the athletes that are still in town can stay sharp.
Dolores head track coach Nick Kohler echoed Ross’ belief that conditioning can fade quickly.
And while a handful of his athletes competed in the Cortez Invitational track meet over Dolores’ spring break, most of the team will have two weeks between meets.
Kohler acknowledged that a week without any training can hinder performances coming back from break, but said that he’s been around long enough that he knows how to counteract it.
“The week after spring break, the first couple of days, I run them hard,” he explained. “Kind of payback, because I know they didn’t do anything. But it works well and they’ll be fine by that Saturday meet in Grand Junction.”
The Dolores girls golf team and the M-CHS girls tennis team also have long layoffs with the break. But golf and tennis don’t require the conditioning of a track and field miler or a soccer player.
They feature skill more than endurance.
Dolores head golf coach Jeff Carr said that the team probably wouldn’t practice over the week off, especially since he knows that two of the M-CHS team members will be gone.
And while players may accumulate some rust with the time away, he isn’t concerned. Especially since the Lady Bears’ first meet back is a home meet at Conquistador Golf Course on April 5.
“I’m actually not worried at all,” said Carr. “We have home-course and I will whip them into shape on Monday.”
M-CHS tennis head coach Catherine Anliker hoped to avoid any setbacks from her team by encouraging players to practice over the break even though there were no official practices scheduled.
“I think they may be a little rusty when they come back after the week off, but not too bad,” she said. “A lot of the skills are there, but maybe being in shape and the physical aspect of it and endurance will be affected. But I try to push, obviously, continuing to practice even though there is no official practice.”
As the break now comes to a close, M-CHS students will return to school and practice on Monday – giving coaches the opportunity to see if, or how much, spring break affected their team.