As the school year comes to a close and many students are preparing for restful summer days, many athletes at California Baptist University are furthering their training through the summer months.
Fall sports such as men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball are the focus in summer training.
Christopher Bates, director of athletic performance, said most teams know the importance of summer training and the challenges that some athletes may face.
“The challenge for these specific teams is to still stay focused with their training during the summer months,” Bates said. “Most of these teams may have only two or three weeks of team practice before they start their first days of competition. Three weeks is not enough time to adequately prepare, so that means we have to put more emphasis on the time we have in summer.”
Though most of the teams will conduct their own training at home or in local gyms, some teams will hold camps or travel for competitions to get ahead in training.
The women’s basketball team will be traveling to Canada to play three games before their official fall season kicks off.
Kamille Diaz, junior sociology major and guard, said she is excited to travel with her team and said it will influence the fall season in a positive way.
“Going on this trip will benefit our team by having the opportunity to practice and play a month before school starts, therefore we can get ahead,” Diaz said. “I am looking forward to having fun with my teammates and enjoying the moments I have with the rest of the seniors.”
Bates said summer is a crucial time for student athletes to improve their game.
“Twelve weeks is a long time to be doing nothing and the summer is what makes or breaks athletes,” Bates said. “This is the one time where they can focus on just the athlete part in student athlete.”
