Transitioning from Football to Basketball

Students talk about the transition that takes place between football and basketball.

Sydney Campbell, Staff Writer

For the first three months of the school year, the members of the football team are the kings of the school.

High school students wait all week for Friday Night Lights, and cheering at the game is a quintessential part of the high school experience.

But when the season ends, students turn to a new sport for their Friday night entertainment: Basketball.

While the majority of the football players end their season and relax, a few are right back at the endless training, practices, and chaos that comes along with participating in a sport.

“It sucks,” says senior Stanley Schindler, about making the quick turnaround from one sport to another. “[Football is] great strength training but it’s not the training we need for basketball. That’s a sport that’s more about finesse, not just bulldozing another team.”

Junior Mark Rockwood has decided not to play basketball this season, but he remembers his transition from his sophomore year.

“We’re totally out of (basketball) shape when we make that transition,” Lockwood recalled.

Senior Andy Ritter has bounced between football and basketball enough to adjust to the schedule, but still struggles with catching up.

“Usually, in football, we make it into the playoffs which is great,” Ritter said, “but it sets us behind the rest of the basketball team because they’ve all been playing and training for a couple weeks by the time we get there.”

Although the quick switch can be rough on athletes, the student body is always thrilled at the start of a new athletic season, and the boys always pull through and play with the most effort they have, no matter what sport is in the highlights.