Summer vacation is a time for many Harrisites to lay low and relax after a stressful school year.  However, for many Harrisite athletes, the summer is the time for them to concentrate on their sports and use this newfound time to train for their respective sport.

For junior Louis Nicolosi, a member of the Townsend Harris boys baseball and basketball teams, during the summer he travels around the east coast to play baseball. Louis has been playing travel baseball for nine years and is currently playing for the Midville Dodgers, a baseball organization located in Middle Village.

In his first year playing for the Dodgers, Louis will be faced with a demanding schedule as the team plans to practice and play games six times a week. On top of this grueling regimen, the team will also be traveling to Cincinnati and Indiana for two tournaments. As he puts it, “It’s wild.” However, for the most part, the team will play in local tournaments around the city.

Junior Alexander Lebeau, a teammate of Louis for two sports, is a member of the THHS baseball, basketball, and bowling teams. Alex plans on continuing to play baseball for the Middle Village Twins, a team he has been playing for for eight years and counting. “We travel all around New York as well as tournaments in other states,” said Alexander.

Putting summer baseball up against PSAL, Alexander added, “Summer ball is great because you are all relaxed, records don’t matter as much and all of your friends are there. I never really feel stressed about games no matter when they are.”

Although his schedule isn’t as nearly as strenuous as Louie’s, Alex plans to work on his own in order to get better. “I’m planning on running twice a day, going to the gym and eating healthy,” he said.

Junior Alexis Sarabia, a member of the varsity wrestling and swimming teams plans to continue swimming and training with a team called the Cross Island YMCA Barracudas for which she has swam for ten years and counting. The Barracudas don’t compete over the summer, but they train to stay in shape for their fall season. They swim at the Jones Beach Bath houses and at the Cross Island YMCA facility.

She will also practice wrestling and plans to join a wrestling camp run by the wrestling organization “Beat the Streets” for the first time.

As for why she trains in the summer, Alexis said, “I just want to improve my technique and endurance in both sports. I don’t want to get out of shape over the summer because when competition season comes around, I don’t want to waste time by just getting back into shape.”

Sophomore Carmela Lopez plans to follow a workout regiment by the cross country team to help herself stay fit and get better for the PSAL season.

Even though Carmela feels that school season training sessions are more effective, she still enjoys working on her own time and being able to create her own schedule for workouts. When asked about the major difference between PSAL training and summer training, she added, “I feel like I’m actually pushing myself more.”