January 31st - Kristin Sotak

Newsflash! Another update on the SBU women's soccer team and their off-season training! This week we really got into things - we finished testing last week and so we started the real training. Individual sessions remained the same basically - we focused on technique, repetition, turning, and Richie emphasized awareness. By this he meant being conscious of your body - how it feels, the movement and its positioning. If we can learn to be aware of ourselves, we can better understand and improve simple things such as form and we can also focus on ourselves and what we need to accomplish.

Lifting with Fiske was much more demanding than it has been in the past. Everyone had "cards" that instructed us as to what exercises we had to do each day, how much weight we needed to use, and approximately how many reps we had to complete as well. As the weeks progress, weight and reps will change accordingly in order to make us stronger and more explosive.

Next, fitness was different than what we all expected, I would have to say. The first fitness day we worked on form - fixed, focus, rotate, and punch were some of the terms that Coach Fiske taught us to help us get faster and be more efficient. Thursday's fitness was, well, fitness! We kept moving for 20 minutes straight, alternating between jogging, walking, and sprinting, which everyone agreed was great because that is exactly what we do in soccer - we sprint, recover with a jog, then we walk a bit. So it was nice to see that our bodies were being trained for what we actually do on the field - what a smart coaching staff we have!

But I think the most exciting and fun session we had this week was the team practice. Everyone got to get together and play. Of course, we started off with some drills that addressed the basics - over the standing foot and concentrating on a productive first touch. Then we got to play! We finished off with a 5 on 5 plus two neutral players, and Jaime and Richie jumped in to add to the play.

Even though we have to get up pretty early - around 6-7AM depending on the day's activities - everyone seems happy and ready to go. The couple injured players have been seeing our athletic trainer, Erin, to get healthy and fit so that they can soon join us. Lastly, the best thing about our team so far is our attitude. The underclass-athletes have done a really good job about being positive and restraining from complaining. This makes all the difference, as it creates an environment where everyone gets along and can work on things in a respectful manner. So "props" to everyone for your enthusiastic attitude and respect - keep it up!