Tis’ the season to be jolly and enjoy pies, eggnog, gingerbread cookies, and mashed potatoes. While we are chowing down on sweet and savory treats, our winter season athletes are munching on carrots, celery, and spinach. Victor Tesoro ’18 stresses the importance of nutrition. “I pay attention to proper macro and micronutrients and make sure that I eat a sufficient amount of calories each day.” His focus on a proper diet allows him to perform as well as possible during his Boys’ Varsity Gymnastics meets. Theodore Lowen ’18 also keeps up a healthy diet. “I love cooking up greens together like kale, spinach, green beans, and I never forget the protein. I always add in some red meat to my diet,” Lowen said.

“I pay attention to proper macro and micronutrients and make sure that I eat a sufficient amount of calories each day.”

While the rest of us are cuddling up in bed with our favorite Netflix show, Bronx Science athletes  are sweating it out during the holidays, either at competitions, working out at the gym, or even their basement. Kendy Huang ’18, a member of the Boys’ Varsity Wrestling team, focuses on powerlifting at the gym in order to gain strength for competitions. Our wrestlers of Bronx Science stress the importance of strengthening workouts. By competition day, the training is well worth it. “Our workout consists of lots of drills, running, and sometimes lifting. It gets really hard at times, but our improvement shows at the the meets we compete in,” said Steven Shinas ‘18.

Where does this motivation come from? For Indoor Track athlete Jessica Wang ’18, the the cold outside is no obstacle. “What motivates me to work out over the winter is the same motivation that motivates me to work out in general. It’s only harder since it’s freezing outside. My main goal in working out is to relieve all of the stress that I have accumulated from school as well as other activities. Playing a sport and sweating during the winter is extremely gratifying, especially since it’s so cold, and you can warm up in a really beneficial way. Also, working out just helps you feel good inside and out, which is also an alluring reason. It’s only during the workout that you have to endure a bit, but it’s all worth it in the end.” Annie Liu ’19, also a member of the Indoor Track team, said, “My biggest motivation definitely comes from my teammates. They cheer you on even when you’re at practice running a warm-up. It’s really heartwarming to know that I have people by my side whom I can work with, and it pushes me to work harder.”  

Winter athletes put in even more work when they are not at practice. Many workout over the weekends during their free time. Denis Huang ’18, member of the Boys’ Varsity Gymnastics team goes to the gym to work on calisthenics and weight training. “Calisthenics are repetitive exercises that help build strength and increase flexibility, and they are vital for our gymnastics training,” Victor Tesoro ’18 explains.

Whether it is waking up at 5 a.m. to swim or staying at the Armory running until 6 p.m., it is evident that our winter athletes are in top-notch shape for the season. Their hard work proves to be well worth it, as they achieve goal after goal and win medal after medal.