By:  Caleb Sopher

The sun is setting on a Tussey Mountain season once again, but for the athletes, the sun is still shining bright. I got to learn from three athletes the common struggles of training for a sport. Putting time aside for practicing and doing homework is hard enough for the average athlete; however, an extraordinary athlete pushes the envelope past the whistle. 

One such example is Sophomore Chad Weist, who works out 5 times a week. He also finds time after practice to run. 

Juniors Aaron Lopez and Aden Scott work hard as well. Aaron runs in the morning before school, while Scott lifts weights and runs because “There is no rest” when it comes to working out.  This isn’t some weekend motivation for these athletes: they have been involved in sports for many years. Weist has been running track for four years. Lopez has played basketball for 5 years, and  Scott has wrestled for a staggering four years. These decisive athletes have to give up junk food and precious time to train for sports. It’s hard to keep up with training on a schedule. “You just gotta push through the tough time even turn to motivation,” says Lopez. 

You can lift weights and run all the time, but that means nothing if you don’t have a good diet. Shawn M. Talbott, a nutritional biochemist and former director of the University of Utah Nutrition Clinic, says, “weight loss is generally 75 percent diet and 25 percent exercise.”

Weist, Scott, and Lopez all agree that they consume proteins and watch calorie intake. 

It takes more than just willpower to keep going; motivation can be a deciding factor. Weist looks to make a name for himself and to impress people. Lopez would like to suppress the haters. Last, but not least, Scott feels like he is getting stronger, so he keeps going.

All three athletes plan on going to college to play sports.  Weist hopes to continue training after high school–maybe in college–and after that to become a football coach. The season never really ends because the skills learned from excruciating training continue for a lifetime.