Seniors cope with college retirement

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The last play has been called and the last lap has been swum. For this year’s senior Charger athletes, the end of the season means one thing: retirement.

“It’s definitely different being done,” said senior volleyball player Caitlin Kopmeyer. “It kinda stinks.”

For many, the realization that they will never play at the collegiate level, and for many, ever again, is harsh. Still, most see positive aspects in freedom of workouts and an abundance of free time.

Football is unique in that contact football virtually doesn’t exist in recreational adult league forms. Senior wide receiver Andrew Mott said that he is interested in flag football, along with pick-up basketball, swimming, running, and tennis. He has enjoyed the respite football’s end has allowed his body, although that hasn’t meant a total halt in working out.

“A lot of the heavy stuff is kind of cut out of my workout plan. I’m still recovering (from an injury), and I needed time to heal, and the lighter load has helped out a lot,” Mott said. “Power lifts and playing don’t necessarily help the healing process. Power cleans and squatting really takes a toll on my body, and since I’m not training for football I don’t need to do those. There are a lot more possibilities.”

Senior Alison Johnson, along with her twin sister, Hayley, finished their senior swimming season at the GLIAC tournament on February 12-15. The Johnsons hardly have plans to slack on intensity of training.

“My sister and I are planning on training for the Chicago marathon to run with our older sister. She’s wanted us to run with her for a while but this is the first time we’ll have the time to train for such a long event,” Alison Johnson said.

Alison Johnson will still keep up with swimming and a goal-oriented approach to exercising.

“I still love swimming and want to keep up with it even though I’m retired. I’ve gotten in the pool a few times since GLIACs and it was nice to swim just for fun and relaxation instead of training for competition so it’s been a good transition so far,” Alyson Johnson said. “[Swimming]’s a good workout for off days of running too. It will be nice to have more flexibility and variation now in working out, but I’m going to try to always have some sort of goal, like the marathon, to keep me motivated.”

Senior Sydney Lenhart finished her volleyball career in the fall, and will attend University of Michigan for dental school starting this summer. Lenhart already has a workout plan in place and has already competed in an adult league volleyball tournament.

“I’ll have a month plus (from when I graduate to the start of dental school), so I want to train for a half marathon, and continue that into school,” Lenhart said. “I’m joining a yoga and bar studio in Ann Arbor. Lauren Grover ’13 and Brogan Wells ’12 play in a volleyball league in Ann Arbor, so I’m going to join their team.”

Mott and Copmeyer have both stayed active in their teams’ offseason workouts this semester. Mott has volunteered his time as a student-coach until he graduates, and Copmeyer will act as an assistant coach this fall as she completes her student teaching at Williams Elementary School in Jonesville, Mich.

Mott assists the football coaches in afternoon and morning conditioning, and will help out during spring ball practices as needed. The prospect of coaching is especially exciting for Copmeyer, whose younger sister will be a freshman player in the fall.

In the meantime, Kopmeyer’s goal is to shed the bulk and become “long and lean.”

“I’m a fan of a good elliptical.”