Sports schedules are usually pretty obvious. Preseason matches come first, followed by the regular season, and capped off with the championship right at the end. For boy’s golf and tennis, however,

While other teams go off to their state matches in the fall, these two sports go back to the drawing board and wait in anticipation for the springtime, when their state championships will eventually occur.

This shift in schedule seems to be a generally positive change for both teams, brought about by extra time in the offseason to train.

“For me, personally, I think it improves my play, because it gives me the opportunity to practice for another four or five months until state. It’s much easier to develop and work on things,” senior golfer Ben Graham said.

Graham also believes the shift from a busy schedule to a long offseason allows for more specific training.

“When you’re in the season and you’re trying to perform well, you can’t really work on things as much, so it’s helped me practice and work on what I need to work on,” Graham said.

Sophomore tennis player Bryan Le believes that the gap in the season is a risky choice, and that some athletes can’t use it correctly.

“Athletes have to maintain skills and you have to actually keep playing. I’ve seen a lot of people come out and not play well because they weren’t keeping up with their training,” Le said.

Bryan Le and his brother Ethan got third in the tennis doubles competition over the weekend.

“Practicing consistently over the break and using it to their advantage is key,” Le said.

“[The Coach] can’t train with athletes during the offseason, but thankfully for us our athletes are self-motivated, and practice consistently over the offseason. That’s why Liberty Golf has been so successful,” golf coach Jon Kinsley said.