As fall fades away and winter slowly creeps around the corner, many exciting events await. One of the most prominent is winter sports tryouts. During the winter season, Saint Viator athletics provide students with numerous sports to participate in, including basketball, wrestling, hockey, cheerleading, swimming and competitive dance.

Every winter athlete in the upcoming month will be, in one way or another, mentally and physically preparing themselves for this deciding moment.

“[Every morning] I head to the gym around 5:30 and shoot some baskets,” said freshman Patric Natindim. “I try to go for at least 400 makes.”

“I’m kind of taking it day-by-day right now, focusing on [cross country], but once the winter sport time comes around, I’m going to try out and put my best effort in,” said junior Brady Collis.

Athletes who do both fall and winter sports get no break between seasons. For athletes like Collis, this tight time frame creates a tremendous amount of stress.

The physical aspect is only half of it, as mental game plays a crucial role in any athletic sport as well.

“Well you know there is a little bit of nerve, but you’ve got to overcome that,” said Collis. “You have to have some confidence going into it. You can’t be too confident about your abilities but you have to have just the right amount. You have to think ‘I can keep up with these guys, I can play with them.’ You know it’s nothing new to me.”

Every athlete has their own mental preparation.

“[Swimming] is mental—you’re holding your breath underwater, and you have to have [the] mentality that day that you will finish and if you think that, you will,” said junior Richard Rinka.

Most athletes have a certain way in which they think during a game, match or meet and a certain way they prepare for those events. Prior to tryouts, an athlete must trust their abilities. Junior Michael Balcerak has been swimming for his club team since September.

“I just go in and I take it as the first day of practice, and from day one to the end of the season, you have to stay focused on being number one,” said Balcerak.

Meanwhile, for returning athletes, mentalities change and confidence rises.

“Freshman year was different,” said Collis. “[Now] I’m trying out for the varsity team, and I’m a junior. It’s a senior-filled [roster]. There are going to be a lot of kids trying out for the team.”

“This year is different,” said Richard Rinka. “Last year was my first time swimming for a high school swim team, [and] now that I know I’ve done the workouts last year, I know I have an obligation to do them again and to do them better.”