The other half of the athlete: the offseason

Students like (from left to right) Annika Carlson, Jake Flath and Stella Bauman have completed their fall athletic seasons and are now investing their time and energy into other hobbies. TIFFANY LE, Staff Photographer

Chapman fall athletes have wrapped up their seasons, and their schedules just got a whole lot lighter. The offseason is a time for athletes to get involved in other activities they may not have been able to participate in during their season.

Especially at the Division III level, athletes are often encouraged to pursue other educational or social interests outside of their sport, and Chapman is no different. Sports seasons at Chapman typically last for two to three months, and these athletes are generally given a pretty extensive offseason, though it varies depending on the sport. 

For women’s soccer player Stella Bauman, a freshman communication studies major whose season concluded Nov. 4, being in the offseason means she is able to go through sorority recruitment in the spring. If recruitment were in the fall, which is standard at most universities, Bauman would likely have had to choose between soccer and Greek life, given the time commitment required by both.

“During your sport, it’s really hard to make connections with people outside of athletics,” Bauman said. “With (recruitment), I’m really excited to meet all these new people that I haven’t gotten to meet yet.”

With sorority recruitment not taking place until the end of January, Bauman has taken up painting, beach-going and visiting her parents as much as she can. But she also looks to balance these activities with physical exertion.

“With meeting the freshmen on the team, I have people to go to the gym with and workout with,” Bauman said. “I’ve also made friends with the freshmen on the volleyball team, so we get to workout with them too, and they’re in the same boat where they still have to stay active and stay fit.”

Annika Carlson, a freshman communication studies major, has this same obligation to stay fit, but in a different context. She just finished her cross country season this fall and is now in training for her lacrosse season in the spring. 

“I transitioned from a more cross-country focused schedule into a mix of both, but a lot more lacrosse,” Carlson said. “So, I weight lift, I run and I do stick work and shooting.”

Carlson will be training with the track team until her lacrosse season starts at the end of interterm.

“If I were just doing one (sport), I could just be running on that day or just lifting and doing stickwork on that day,” Carlson said. “But with both, it just makes my schedule a little bit busier, because I have to incorporate all three as much as I can.”

Although it’s a big undertaking, Carlson enjoys her time in both sports because they affect her in different ways. She said cross country meets “take a lot of focus” while lacrosse game days get her “really excited.”

Jake Flath, a football player and senior business administration major, uses his time off to pursue his passion for cars.

“Football is a huge commitment and takes up a lot of time so it’s hard to pursue anything extra during the season,” Flath said. “And even the off season has been a challenge with a full class load and all the training to stay in shape and get better.”

When he’s not on the gridiron in the fall, Flath tends to renovate his Jeep. During the pandemic, he had ample time off, so Flath restored a classic muscle car with his grandpa — a longtime goal of his. Now that football is in the rearview mirror for Flath, he plans on continuing to work on car projects.

Outside of cars, exercise and football, Flath is “looking forward to the downtime and availability to pursue other ventures in life.”