For athletes, proper diet and exercise can have many forms over the course of a season and off-season. Weightlifting, conditioning and even games play a role in the overall health of an athlete.Different players and teams have their own agendas concerning staying in shape. Sophomore tennis player Denis Borisevich says that although there is no set agenda for eating, the team members keep an eye on what they eat.

“We’re all pretty smart and watch what we eat to compete,” he said. “We don’t do anything out of the ordinary when it comes to eating.”

Leah Peterson, junior third baseman for the softball team, got together with some of her teammates during the holidays to get work in.

“They gave us workouts to stick to over the holidays and most of the girls did,” Peterson said. “Everybody was making sure they did what they needed to do to get themselves ready for the season.”

For junior pitcher Rudy Darrow and his teammates on the Colonels baseball team, baseball is a year-round sport.

“I know a lot of guys on the team play summer ball to stay on top of their games,” Darrow said. “In order to be good and be a great athlete you have to workout everyday; there is no off-season.”

The man who oversees the specific regiments of the athletic teams is head strength and conditioning coach Craig Cheek. Cheek handles most of the workout duties and tailors his plan to the athletes.

“I take a very scientific approach to designing programs for the athletes,” Cheek said. “We try to mimic what they are going to see in their specific sports.”

With some sports in season and some out of season, Cheek takes different approaches to each team and intensity of their workouts. An example would be the difference in the approach to the men’s basketball team that is currently in season as opposed to the football team that is out of season.

“The intensity of the workouts is heavier for the off-season teams since there are no games,” he said. “Football is hitting the weights the hardest right now, while the men’s basketball team is just working mainly on injury prevention and maintenance.”

Cheek also said that educating the athletes on weight training and conditioning is also important and likes to keep changing the regimens to gain an advantage during the season. He said, “If you manipulate the training variables the right way, you can gain a little bit of strength and have them at their peak towards the end of their seasons when it’s important.”

Communication with the coaches is essential for the progression of the players, and while some coaches are involved, some leave it up to the discretion of Cheek.

“We’re all working for the same goal, for the kids to be the best they can be,” he said. “I always keep them informed on what I’m doing and since this is my area of expertise they trust me.”

At times it’s not easy for the athletes to get up in the morning to work out Cheek said, but he believes that in the long run the athletes will appreciate it.

“Of course, some days it’s harder to get motivated, but the best thing I can do is show the kids that it’s not a means to an end, but it’s part of the process to winning championships,” he said. “I want these kids winning championships.