Lions’ Lair – Celebrate Spring Sports

By Tara Grieger

With the Super Bowl over, how about taking a look into Lockhart”s winter and spring sports, football is a big dog, but soccer, basketball, softball, baseball, track, volleyball, and power lifting are the standbys that keep us in shape all year “round.
Volleyball is a unique sport because it doesn”t really have a male counterpart. Not unlike baske

tball, the girls who pursue this sport are often tall and have a knack for jumping. Often we find these amazons in the weight room, working their upper body so that they can generate that wonderful aggressive “spike” that we all like to watch and is so crucial to the game.
What can we say about basketball, half the fun in watching a basketball game is keeping an eye on the ball-handlers moves! Basketball is a little flashier than other sports, because it is actually practical and beneficial to improvise. Little is known about the strength one must possess to “box out.” It seems like a simple task, but in reality the athlete is being asked to shove five people simultaneously off of the court.
Power lifting is a very cool sport. These athletes train for strength, pure and simple. What sets this activity apart from the rest is that in most sports, an athlete trains to get stronger so that they can accomplish another task easier or better. In lifting, you cut out the middleman; raw muscle is the only thing that these kids are looking for. We all can respect that.
Now for the “outies,” the poor fools that have chosen to play an outdoor sport in the middle of winter. What is there to say about our durable soccer players? Anybody who can run at full speed over a field with a ball between their legs without falling down or looking stupid doing it, I have respect for! These kids are all right. Every day, rain or shine they work on endurance and mechanics. Coordination is what these guys are all about. Softball and Baseball are just getting warmed up this season. Working out all their kinks in the afternoon rain. Everything about these two sports is fast paced, lively and invigorating. The batters are especially brave souls in the face of a novice pitcher!
Lastly we have track and field, break it down any way you like, track is at least three sports in one, and the coach is hoping to make you good at one or all of them, or kill you trying! They don”t particularly care what kind of shape their kids are in at the beginning of the season, but by the end, they are going to make those guys into conditioned animals. We wish the best of luck to any kid pursuing these various activities, and hope that your efforts do not go unrewarded. Go Lions!