As the winter season wraps up, the spring season sports start their preseason work which consists of open gyms and weight room sessions. Unlike most sports, the girls who are looking to play soccer are getting prepared for the conditioning test that can be a determining factor to them making the team. The test is less than two miles in total and is a combination of two- half miles, three- quarter miles and three shuttles.

Head coach Christopher Hernandez talks about how the test better prepares the athletes for the upcoming season.

“The test is equally physical and psychological. It is demanding and pushes players to prepare their fitness levels prior to the season so that dedicated practice time is not spent building fitness levels when it can be spent on building technique and tactical concepts,” Hernandez said.

If an athlete doesn’t complete the test in the time allotted, then they are not put in a varsity game until they can pass the test. Now although that seems daunting, it is used to prepare the girls for what it is like to play in a varsity soccer game. An average soccer player runs anywhere from six to eight and a half miles in just one game.

The concept of the test isn’t to instill fear in freshman or current players though, it is to create a sense of camaraderie and start forming a team bond from an early stage of the season.

Junior Micah Olson weighs in on how she sees team bonding through the fitness test.

“Google defines team bonding as ‘an ongoing process through which teams become closer and build trust and ease of communication.’ Based on this definition, I can say without a doubt that the conditioning test we run for soccer is considered a team bonding experience established from the benefits I have gained thus far,” Olson said.

Girls soccer is unique because they are the only team that requires all players to do the test to get onto the team. So should other teams require a conditioning test? Goalie coach Adam Petersen gives his opinion on it.

“For varsity requirements, I think all sports should have some time of test/skills checklist/rubric that could be utilized throughout a varsity season to not only establish a baseline of skill, but so athletes can reflect throughout the season to check their own individual growth,” Petersen said.

Junior goalieHannah Fedinec gives her insight from a players perspective on how she thinks the other sports should include a conditioning test.

“I think that it depends on the sport. Soccer is an example of a team sport that has a high physical demand and our coaches want to put our best team forward and the fitness test is one way to do that. I think that maybe some other teams could benefit from it, but ultimately it’s up to how the coach wants to make their decision,” Fedinec said.

The girls soccer season starts with their first game on Mar. 16 against Bolingbrook High School