With spring sports in full stride, the athletes do much more than just go out and play their sport.  In preparation for the season, the athlete has to tailor their body, stick to special eating plans, and even train all year long.

Tennis player, Junior Maya Dugger, found out at a young age that she was built like an athlete. That hasn’t stopped her from training though.

“I don’t really lift weights because a lot of muscle can slow you down; however, I do a lot of running which can most likely be attributed to my really strong legs.”

What’s training though without carefully watching the calories? Dugger sticks to a special eating plan all year long.

“I do not eat fried foods, only baked and grilled foods.  I don’t drink soda either, mostly protein shakes, water, and juice,” said Dugger.

Also being a track sprinter, offseason training comes a little easier to Dugger.

“With track, I do a lot of running.  I also practice hitting a lot during the offseason.”

Tennis players aren’t the only ones who have to keep their body ideal for their sport though.

Softball player,  Junior Casey Abernethy, keeps her physical structure ideal in many ways.  Softball has many positions for different body sizes.  Abernethy uses her smaller build to her advantage.

“I’m more on the smaller side, so I’m basically built to be a slapper because I can move around the bases quicker than others,” said Abernethy.

However, training is still necessary.

“For the past few years, I’ve been weight lifting through school conditioning a bit.  I also do 50 pushups a day and go to the gym for a workout and just to gain an overall fit.”

Abernethy keeps her eating plan simple.

“I basically cut out soda, and drink lots of water,” stated Abernethy.

For the softball player, there isn’t an offseason so she is stays in constant training.

“Outside of school, I play travel ball.  We do showcases all year long, so there really isn’t any offseason.  I still go the gym and run as well.”

Training and dieting seem to have great influence when tailoring one’s physical structure for their sport and brings much success to athletes of all shapes and sizes.