Home to over 15 athletic teams, Independence has established a strong sports culture over the years– with athletes and coaches working together to represent the school.
However, due to the wide variety of teams, maintaining a sense of unity within IHS’ sports community becomes a challenge.
Fortunately, through his “All Sports” workouts, offensive-lineman football coach Zachary Skinner is trying to tackle this issue.
Designed to foster connections between different sports, the workouts were fully implemented beginning this school year and involve athletes across various activities. In response to organizing the workouts, Skinner was recently recognized as a “Coach of Impact and Influence” by the IHS administration.
“We noticed that there were great coaches and camaraderie within each sport, but players weren’t really connected with other athletic activities,” Skinner said. “This is why we’ve been getting everybody together to work out in order to build more school spirit. It’s really been a big team effort to get this going, but it’s been good for both the kids and the coaches.”
During different times on Mondays and Wednesdays, male and female athletes participate in the 30-minute workouts. The athletes start off with a warm-up and are then split into two groups– one focusing on weight training, while the other does drills on the turf. Halfway through, the two groups switch.
“At the end of each session, we all huddle up, put our fists in the air, and yell, ‘we are, Indy strong,’ as the one athlete who stood out that day leads us in breaking out of the huddle,” senior Izaan Rizvi, a varsity football player, said.
These workouts present a valuable opportunity for athletes to follow training that wouldn’t typically be involved in their sport.
“Personally, I think they are pretty helpful, because for my sport, I wouldn’t normally work out in the weight room,” sophomore Evan Ewert, a member of the track and cross-country teams, said. “This helps incorporate it, and everybody is working towards the same goal– to get better.”
Many athletes feel that the workouts offer a fun change of pace from practicing within their separate teams.
“I like it when I get to see my friends from other sports,” Faith Resendez, a junior and a member of the cross country team, said. “We get to meet new people, and the coaches are very involved and energetic. They guide us through the workouts when we need help.”
Since the workouts are split into teams, the athletes are pushed to socialize with members from different sports.
“I’ve gotten to talk to and connect with many girls I wouldn’t normally speak to,” Dhriti Kundu, a junior and varsity wrestler, said. “Most people don’t know each other unless they are on the same team, but the All Sports workouts help us meet new people while providing support to everyone who participates. It’s never uncomfortable, and I think they will lead us to encourage each other more in team efforts and competitions.”
In the future, Skinner hopes to see more connection and support between various sports, and believes the “All Sports” workouts are just the first step in achieving this.
“We’re in football season right now, and I see more students in the stands, and I think this will continue all year,” Skinner said. “The athletes are definitely mingling amongst each other more, and aren’t as grouped within their sports, which is really neat. They’re building relationships with people that they didn’t know before, and hopefully, it’ll carry over with showing up to support each other on game day.
Ultimately, to both athletes and coaches alike, the “All Sports” workouts have slowly become an influential aspect of IHS’ sports community.
“With more athletes from different sports, we have a healthy competitiveness to drive each other past our limits to become better athletes, ” Rizvi said. “Whether someone is a state wrestler, a shooting guard, a goalkeeper, or a defensive lineman, the atmosphere while we are working out is that we are all Knights.”
