“A time for us to fall in love with the sport again:” Student athletes reflect on training during the summer of sophomores

Because of the grueling hours of training and weekends of competition in a typical semester, some student-athletes take a different approach to the sport during the summer of sophomores.

by Chloe Park | 36 minutes ago

Courtesy of Morgan Kendall ’25

For many second years at Dartmouth, the sophomore summer offers a time to band together as a class, dedicate a semester to new activities and enjoy temporary freedom from the normal demands of extracurricular activities. Student athletes are no exception.

According to Dartmouth Sports, the college’s varsity teams compete “all year round” and the sport can take place for one to three semesters into the season. At first glance, summer might seem like a standard off-season. However, student athletes will still be expected to play their sport and train – albeit to a lesser extent than in other semesters – with the new, added benefit of schedule flexibility.

According to Payton Weiner ’25, a member of the women’s track and field team, the summer semester, combined with a low-pressure environment and lack of back-to-back competitions, allows for renewed motivation and love for student athletes’ respective sports.

“The summer of sophomores is a time for us to fall in love with the sport again,” Weiner said. “It’s too far from the actual season to even think about racing and competing. So it’s a great way to get into the sport for the same reasons that got us into the sport in the first place, and not necessarily for any specific outcome.”

Because summer is a less-committal term for Weiner, she explains that training is “more doable” because she has more time to run.

“I have to achieve a certain mileage per week,” said Weiner. “It’s definitely a lot more flexible. I run during my lunch break or after work and only coordinate with my teammates who have the same schedule.”

25-year-old heavyweight rower Munroe Robinson described how he went from training twice a day to one in the afternoon. He said he uses the free time to pursue further education, spend time with friends, do schoolwork and do “whatever I want to do”.

“It’s just nice to have the freedom to choose,” added Robinson.

The extra free time could also be due to not attending classes, as is the case with some student athletes who choose to spend a semester in Hanover, including Weiner.

Weiner explained that for sports like her own, which compete in the fall, winter and spring, a hiatus during any of those three terms would mean she would not be able to compete that season. Therefore, most three-season athletes take the summer semester off.

Men’s tennis is another three-season sport, and Alex Knox-Jones ’25 said not all of his fellow sophomores chose to take their vacations near campus: His two ’25 teammates chose for staying in their respective homes while Knox-Jones is currently conducting research with a professor because he didn’t want to miss the summer of sophomore.

Student athletes and other teammates on campus use the flexibility of their training schedule to engage in team bonding activities. Morgan Kendall ’25 of the women’s rowing team said she’s ready to train hard with her teammates this summer, rowing three times a week in the morning and doing cross-training or strength training in the afternoon.

“We decided to do it [conditioning] It’s more fun to play and try other sports…rather than doing a very structured, intense workout,” Kendall said. “I really love spending time with the girls on my team and training with them.”

Kendall added that having other 25-year-olds currently on campus makes her training program easier as both her teammates and best friends enjoy the newfound flexibility and fun of the sophomore summer.

“It’s just a lot more fun and a lot more productive to train with a large group than it is to do it alone,” said Kendall.

Weiner said the warmer weather opens up opportunities to discover new hiking trails around the Obertal. She explained that when she runs in nature with her teammates, she can forget about mileage and pace. The self-motivation that comes from being able to set her own schedule and environment has reignited her “passion” for running, she said.

Knox-Jones stressed the importance of him “rekindling his love for tennis” during the summer as a sophomore, noting that he’s playing on his own initiative without compulsory training, which Knox-Jones says is “more motivating”.

“During a normal semester, you still have to go, whether you’ve had a terrible day or are exhausted [to practice]’ said Knox Jones. “However, in the summer it’s just my own decision whether I want to come along or not and every time I’m at the tennis center or now the gym it’s just because I want to be there. I want to play and get better.”

Over the summer, Kendall said she sees training as a “more social space” as she interacts more with her teammates in the relaxed summer training environment.

“Being here in the summer and being able to be with my friends and work out has skyrocketed my mental health, especially with the nice weather,” said Kendall. “I definitely think that’s the term of having fun together and making our training really exciting and our own.”