Hitting the pads: an inside look at Samo’s conditioning culture

It is widely believed that sports teams’ success depends on their practice habits. But before perfecting the sport, athletes must go through series of exercises in order to get in shape for the season and with each different sport there is a different tradition. Some of Samo’s fall sports each have their own take on which conditioning will best prepare their athletes for their upcoming seasons. Girls VolleyballGirls volleyball has already hosted several events this year, including four coed tournaments and a player-faculty match.“The coed fours tournament is an opportunity to play more volleyball and see how you play with other people,” middle hitter Serena Mechlowicz (’16) said. “It’s also a lot of fun because we get to play against guys who hit a lot harder than us.”Head coach Liane Sato (’82) began preseason training a little later this year, in order to give the girls an opportunity to play beach volleyball with the 310 Beach Volleyball Academy led by beach volleyball Olympic gold medalist and 2015 assistant coach of the national championship USC sand volleyball team, Dain Blanton.“Playing with 310 made me, along with the other girls, faster at running and [able to]  jump higher because it’s harder to do that on the beach so it made it easier to do indoors,” setter Veronica Johnson (’18) said.Along with a shorter pre-season training schedule, they lost their conditioning coach, Kermit Cannon, leaving the girls to condition and strengthen themselves physically and mentally under the direction of Coach Sato.“Preseason training, no matter how long or short, not only allows players to continue working on their skills, it keeps players in shape,” opposite hitter Allie Barrett (’16) said. “On another level, it helps to keep teams together and bond, as well as push [them] to their full potential.”In preparation for their season, the girls practiced for two days at the beach and three days in the south gym at Samo.“Volleyball is an incredibly anaerobic sport and players can improve greatly by training and increasing their athletic ability,” outside hitter Maria Di Franco (’16) said. “Training allows for the team to see who’s serious and who’s just there to have a good time. Being able to see this is so important in a team sport because everyone on the court has to participate and it lets the team see who they will or won’t be able to trust to work hard and win when season comes around.”Through practicing and training every day after school until five, Sato hopes that this year the team will be able to make it past CIF and take home a state championship. FootballHead football coach Ramsey Lambert has not only solely focused on the physical side of conditioning but as well as the mental side of it.“‘Hell Week this year was very different: one, because it’s now called ‘Opportunity Week’ and two, because it wasn’t all about physical strength,” running back and slot receiver Cyril Bunayug (’18) said. “Coach Lambert really incorporated new ideas this year because he understands that our team needs to go back and reclaim our title as CIF champs.”The Vikings practiced two times a day over summer, and the team ran up to 20 Greeks (two footed hops up each step of the greek, one footed hops, sprints, etc.) to work and focus more on their cardio rather than building muscle in the weight room like they have in previous years.“Opportunity Week is important because it comes after a three week break and I think it gives kids the opportunity to show that they are committed [and] they’re dedicated and that they really want to be apart of the team and contribute to the team as well,” Lambert said.Along with the major changes made within the program, the team recently named Dariush Sayson (’18) as the starting quarterback, according to Lambert.“Coach Lambert has made me mentally stronger, after getting the job very late and putting together a great program he has physically pushed me to my limits and has made me become a better athlete,” Sayson said.  “Although I’m nervous, it’s very exciting and I am looking forward to taking on the challenge.”The lessons being bestowed upon the football players don’t stop at the varsity level as they trickle down to the lower level teams as well.“Here at Samo we expect kids to compete every day and really represent our school and themselves in a positive way,” freshman football coach Douglas Kim said.Overall, Samo sports have been working hard in all aspects of their game in hopes of winning first place in each league and taking home a state championship. Boys Water PoloBoys water polo took on a different route as they practiced building speed and stamina on their own podium: water.“The past couple years we’ve been fast, but we could have been faster and we’ve been doing rigorous swim sets; if one person misses a day it can set the whole team back,” goalie Joshua Valencia (’16) said. “That’s why [head water polo coach Matthew] Flanders has been working us so hard, so we can become stronger as individuals, but more importantly, [as] a team.”Along with weight training, swimming laps and practicing every day, boys water polo has also made immense mental strides to focus on their game and follow Coach Flanders’ motto:“Ride the wave. Ride the wave of victory, of success to create a cycle of excellence.”By training and following the path Flanders has set, the team hopes to improve and take home a CIF championship. Cross CountryCross country (XC) began their preseason in July with the team running five to seven miles every day in order to build endurance for the upcoming season.“How do we train?” head XC coach Tania Fischer said. “Well, like any sport we actually do the sport and we do it to strengthen our bodies so we can compete at a higher level. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how old you are, it’s just whoever is the fastest.”In a varsity trip with the top seven boys and the top seven girls in cross country up to Mammoth, the Vikings got a chance to strengthen their endurance by running at least 10 miles every day that they were in the high altitude.“This year we went up to Mammoth for altitude training for about five days,” cross country captain Lucas Jackson (’16) said. “I reached about 70-75 miles that week and it really helped with endurance and being able to run long distances with less oxygen making it easier to breathe with a lot more oxygen down here at Samo.”Back at Samo, the athletes worked hard to better their individual skills in preparation for their goal of making it past California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) prelims.“With the coaches really pushing more workouts to get better, my time has improved to 18 minutes for a three mile race,” varsity runner Janaya Bruce (’17) said.