Jake Kim

Junior Abeni Smith dribbles the basketball, desperate to score a point for her and her team. “I was really determined to play my part to help my team win,” Smith said. “So I think [there] was just determination going through my head.”

Winter sports have officially begun the week of Nov. 12 following Veteran’s day. As the temperatures drop, leaves fall, and days become shorter, fall sports end and winter sports begin here at Jefferson. Although winter may seem like a time to settle down and enjoy the holidays, it is one of the most active seasons for Jefferson students. Especially for those participating in sports. 

Many student athletes are excited about the upcoming season, however a challenge for a number of them is finding motivation for homework and studying after tiring practices.

“[After] I come home, I make sure to shower and eat to give me a break from swimming,” sophomore Elle Andres said. “Usually that bit of relaxation is my main motivation to finish my school work for the night.” 

Other Jefferson student athletes find motivation through their teammates to find the drive to keep going.

“We have practice for about two hours after school,” sophomore Riya Agrawal said as part of the basketball team. “Afterwards, I find it difficult to be motivated to finish my homework since practice is generally quite tiring. Without the enthusiasm my teammates have, I would probably not be as motivated to finish my work that same night.” 

Many people are aware that swimming is a sport typically associated with individuals competing against one another. However, Andres believes that this alone does not disqualify swimming from being considered as a “team” sport. 

“Swimming is known for usually being an individual sport,” Andres said. “Even though it is quite individual, I think the Jefferson swim team has a really unique and close relationship. We even have our own motto: TJSD is love, TJSD is life, we are generally just a really tight knit community.” 

Many Jefferson athletes find support amongst their teammates to motivate them during the stress of midterms and testing. This kind of team support is not unknown for Agrawal. She agrees to feeling motivated by her fellow teammates. 

Apart from mandatory school work and practices, many student athletes are looking forward to upcoming spirit days. “Holiday season usually marks the beginning of many fun spirit days,” Agrawal said. “They usually [tend] to be even more exciting than spirit days in the spring and fall due to all the fun holiday themes we do.” 

But, winter sports mean different things to every Jefferson student. Andres, unlike Agrawal, is most looking forward to a fun holiday tradition that the swim team holds every year. “I am looking forward [to] a program called “Secret Pals”,” Andres said. “Every year the swim team does a gift exchange called Secret Pals where we get a random person a gift at every meet. It is especially important to keep your secret pal a [secret] until it is revealed at the end of the year.”  

From challenging practices to fun team activities, winter sports are truly unique compared to spring and fall sports. But this winter sports season at Jefferson is unlike the rest.

“I think what truly sets the winter season apart from the others is mainly the weather and the vibe of the holiday season,” Agrawal said. “There are also more indoor sports due to the cold temperature.”