When conditioning pops into one’s head, they can’t help but automatically assume it will be miserable. Hours spent in the Florida heat, constantly practicing and perfecting their techniques for their upcoming season. However, this year it’s a lot different for the Titan softball team.

This year’s team is being prepped with fun games that kept everyone laughing but still had them sore the next day. The team has been bonding while still getting ready for the year. Conditioning has taken place three days a week and though some players cannot make it every day, many have made an effort to make it at least once a week. For her first year of conditioning, freshman Samantha Noche has found it to be surprisingly enjoyable.

“We have all been able to bond, the freshman have been able to meet all the upperclassman and have some fun times,” Noche said. “We’ve been doing a lot of running, but we also do a lot of games like frisbee and kickball and volleyball.”

This upcoming season is expected to be time demanding and difficult on the team’s bodies, so conditioning is a great way to get the team in shape for this. Yet, they did not want the conditioning activities to be the same as every year.

“The conditioning is different because we aren’t only trying to get into shape, but we play games while we do it so the girls can work together as a team and bond,” Junior Kendall Walsh said. “But they also get to know each other before the actual season starts.”

Rather than running, the girls grabbed a partner and a frisbee. One partner ran a short distance, and the other threw the frisbee to their partner, and ran past them. This continued until they made a complete circle around the track. Their coach, Kenny Walters, explains that they mix in traditional conditioning as well, so the team gets a bit of both worlds.

“We do tons of events, a lot of frisbee work, a lot of volleyball stuff, things that they’re not used to doing,” Walters said.

The conditioning was a success for all players on the team. Sophomore Rheagan Dibacco was excited to be back into the swing of things, though she had played in a different league.

“We played a lot of active games so it was more fun than other types of conditioning,” Dibacco explained. “Whoever lost a game had to do push-ups and sit-ups and at one point my team had to do 50 push-ups and 50 sit ups.”

The team had been forced to get well acquainted with each other with activities, such as piggy-back runs, coordinated walking, and wheel barrows. Each made the athletes feel more like a team, and a family.Even the coach agrees, this year’s conditioning is different.

“We put them in different situations that they are not comfortable with, and they have to work as a team,” Walters said.

All in all, the captains and coaches have made conditioning fun, but still a great way to keep the athletes going. With fun games, and words of encouragement, everyone is excited to return to softball and make this upcoming season a memorable one.