With winter break around the corner, athletes are eager to get back into training and practicing their sports, but some changes will have to be made to ensure that all athletes will remain healthy and safe during these times. 

As of right now some winter sports practice schedules are still in the decision making process,  but most teams have made the decision to continue to host practices over break and allow their athletes to train with one another to give them some sense of a normal season. 

“Practices will most likely look the same with two different practices and only two to three people per lane. The coaches also might start putting us into groups based on what we swim,” said Amanda Harper, member of the women’s swim and dive team.

The number one priority here is to give athletes the opportunity to play and train for their sport while following all of campus guidelines. This means that practices may not look or feel the same as they have been in previous years, but this also means that if teams follow these guidelines athletes will be safe and be able to train. 

“Practices are a little different this year compared to years prior. We have multiple practice sessions, to keep the amount of guys in the room down to a minimum. With the smaller group in the practice room, this allows every pair of guys to spread out more,” said Dylan Uzumecki, member of the men’s wrestling team at Whitewater. 

Since a few teams are still deciding whether or not to host practices over break, athletes are preparing to train and practice on their own. If teams do not have the opportunity to practice over break athletes will have the option to train at The Williams Center or at University Fitness since they will be remaining open over break for students to use. 

Even with some teams training over break, not each and every athlete will be able to train with their team everyday to follow campus guidelines, so some have decided to continue to practice with their team but also go to the gym and train on their own. 

“To stay prepared over break I will do some running on my own and find a gym to get some shots up and work on my skills” said Will Pytleski, member of the men’s basketball team for Whitewater.

All teams must follow the campus guidelines requiring masks at all times, social distancing, and no more than ten athletes practicing at a time. Coaches and instructors at UW-Whitewater are doing everything they can to give athletes the opportunity to practice with their teams over break.