Day after day, students rush home after practice to do their homework and go to bed at a decent hour, often waking up the next day with sore limbs and tight muscles, affecting their mobility on and off the field.
The Sports Recovery Club, co-founded by junior on both the boys baseball and boys wrestling teams Ellis Martino and senior and team captain of the boys varsity swim and dive team Andy Yoo,provides a space for student-athletes to rest and recuperate after exercising every week during X-block in the Tappan Gymnasium.
Martino said the club was founded so athletes could learn more about injury prevention and post-athletics recovery.
“I’ve always been scared of being injured. It’s not something I ever want to experience. I’ve seen a lot of kids whose [athletic] careers are finished after an injury. Being flexible and knowing proper recovery techniques also improves overall athletic ability,” Martino said.
According to Yoo, the club has a flexible schedule and a wide range of activity choices.
“We let people do what they want. Sometimes, we’ll stretch or use rollers or yoga mats. Or we have organized meetings about nutrition and the benefits of sleeping. We focus on keeping the body healthy in general,” Yoo said.
Club member and baseball player junior Jonathan Mazara said the club has given him a space to recover before further exercise.
“I like having time to stretch before exercising, because I don’t always have time to go warm up. I’ve also had a few instances where I’ve been sore before school, and the club gives me time for healthy recovery before I go to practice,” Mazara said.
Martino said the club is open to athletes and also anyone interested in learning more about maintaining a healthy body.
“If anyone has questions about athletic recovery, they can just ask. Or if they have any advice to share, we like hearing that too,” Martino said.
According to Martino, the members hope to expand the club throughout this year and in the future.
“Right now, we’ve got a lot of juniors, so it’s not very diverse,” Martino said. “ Hopefully, we can get some other grades more involved because [athletic recovery] is important.”
