Chesterton junior Owen Edlen was a standout defensive player in the fall and is the reigning sectional shot put champion.Tom Keegan/Photography
Lately, the number of soccer players participating in track and field events has been more noticeable than ever, as the weather has forced players to practice their field events indoors.
Chesterton boys track and field coach Brian Narenweg doesn't take that for granted.
“I tell people every chance I get that we are very fortunate to have Mark Peterson as our football coach here,” Narenweg said. “I don't want to name names, but I've talked to a lot of coaches at tournaments over the past few years and I realized how lucky I am to have a soccer coach who encourages kids to run. ” Track personnel have scheduled football duties around the track and hope they will be the first to get to the track when track season begins. ”
Receivers, running backs, and defensive backs tend to be good sprinters and long jumpers. Linemen naturally translate to throwing weights.
Offensive linemen love to talk about how important camaraderie is to playing their position. This is also because the job requires verbal and non-verbal communication in all situations in the field. The more time they spend together off the field, the better they will work together on the field.
Trojan sophomore Louis Ruffin is a 400-meter sprinter, sprinting behind Valparaiso's defense and not stopping until he reaches the end zone.Toby Gentry/Photography
So the fact that O-linemen Ryan Gray, Carlos Leon, Tyler Nevias and Braxton Ozag are all doing weight training for the track team shouldn't hurt their communication.
But like Peterson, Narenweg said not all football coaches encourage their players to participate in other sports.
“And he understands, when it comes to our top kids, why I tell them not to go to soccer anymore in April or May. Because we have a section or whatever it is,” Narenweg said sadly. “Mark supports it 100%.”
Junior Owen Edlen was a standout defensive end on the football team and was a sectional champion in the shot put as a sophomore.
Sophomore Louis Ruffin, a 400-meter sprinter, has shown promise as a wide receiver. Pole vaulters Alex Drews, Patrick Morchen and Gus Wisch played soccer, as did Alex Hurlburt, brothers Antonio and Jozu McLemore, Owen Richardson and other members of the track and field team. I played.
Peterson pointed to the benefits of soccer players changing into different uniforms at the change of seasons.
“Participating in other sports really helps develop camaraderie within the school. We build even more camaraderie among our athletes,” Peterson said. “We have great crowds for our home games every night. I think that's partly because of the different athletes our kids interact with and friendships are built through other sports.”
On the flip side, Peterson is happy to meet multisport athletes because of the conditioning benefits.
“We’re done with track season and we’re still in good baseball shape for the actual baseball season, so it’s easier to transition into summer training,” he said. “Those kids are already feeling the wind. We don't need to spend as much time getting conditioned in the summer. We're already balanced, so it doesn't feel like the kids are just getting frustrated. You can jump right into high-energy training without having to worry about it.”
Soccer coaches also believe there's something about athletes continuing to build competitive muscles throughout the year.
“There are so many great experiences that kids get from participating in track and field competitions,” Peterson said. “There are various stressors and many other emotional factors and being involved in such a competitive environment allows children to grow and develop. It is overall beneficial for children. I think.”
He said he believes the benefits will outweigh any potential negative impact of players missing some spring football.
“I think it’s important for kids to participate in multiple sports,” he said. “We push it. Approximately 78 to 79 percent of our employees play other sports at various times throughout the year, such as wrestling, basketball, baseball, track and field, and lacrosse. Currently, volleyball Some of them play on teams.”
