For many students summer is supposed to be about relaxing, going on vacation, and sunbathing by the pool, among other things.

However, for athletes, summer is about extra training.

Training during the summer isn’t supposed to be hardcore by any means, but it doesn’t mean sitting around either.

Athletes have to maintain what they built in the previous year. If they do nothing, then they will lose all that they have gained.

It seems like it would be easy to work out in the summer: wonderful weather – most of the time, no set practice time, and no coach barking out orders to you.

But one thing is missing, and that’s motivation.

It’s hard to work out by yourself. You have nobody to push you and nobody to give you encouragement.

During normal practice times, your coach and teammates are the ones pushing and encouraging you.

There have been so many times when I tell myself that I’m going to work out the next day, but when the next day rolls around, I seem to make some excuse to postpone it until tomorrow.

When I do get motivated, it’s hard to do the full workout without encouragement.

What it comes down to, is that I get lazy and selfish with my time.

Instead of trying to help my team, I’m letting them down.

This summer, I’m turning over a new leaf. My roommate and I have decided that we need to help each other out. Our coach pretty much set the same goals for the both of us.

We know what we have to do to maintain, and we are going to motivate each other.

I’m not saying you can’t have any fun or relaxation in the summer. What I’m saying is that this is the time to take it easy.

Get out of competition mode and into maintaining mode.

If you don’t have a teammate to help you out in the summer, get your high school coach or parent to go with you.

You can also watch some old highlight films to get you pumped. If you can’t do that, then get a recording of your coach yelling at you, and play that while you are working out.

There are so many forms of motivation out there. You just have to get up and look.

Be ready for the upcoming season. Don’t be the one to hold your team back.

Molly Clutter can be reached at 581-7942 or mkclutter@eiu.edu.