With a busy school and afternoon activity schedule, some athletes at Williston turn to waking up at the break of dawn to workout.

Many students find themselves with little free time due to classes ending at 3 p.m., and afternoon activities starting right after. This has resulted in a group of athletes to waking up in the morning, before the sun rises, to lift in the athletic center.

Thomas Thibault ’19, a member of the Boy’s Varsity Football and Lacrosse team, believes waking up to lift helps get his day going early.

“Lifting in the morning right when you wake up is better for you, and it helps me eat breakfast in the morning, which helps me gain weight for college,” Thomas said. “I have practice for Varsity lacrosse at night, so my only time to lift is in the morning.”

The athletic center opens at 6:00 a.m. every day during the school week. This gives students an opportunity to start their day with a workout before classes start. Students show up at different times, ranging from 6:00 when it opens until 7:30, an hour before classes start.

Cam Mariani ’19, a member of the Boy’s Varsity Hockey and Golf team, believes waking up to lift keeps him awake during the school day.

“It helps me get a good start on the day and makes you feel much more awake during the school day,” Cam said. “Plus it gives me an excuse to eat breakfast in the morning.”

John Kelly, a post graduate and a member of the Boys Varsity Basketball team, wakes up early due to his tight schedule.

“I work out twice out of the five day school week,” John said. “Those are the days that I don’t have open lift as an option, and I don’t have time after school to get in the weight room. I also like to play basketball after school, and sometimes the morning is the only time I have.”

Blayne Lapan, Williston’s Strength and Conditioning Coach, doesn’t recommend students getting in the weight room in the morning, unless they are following a thorough training program.

“Many kids who train in the morning are not following any type of periodized strength and conditioning protocol developed by a trained and educated coach,” Blayne said. “I have a huge problem with this because the athlete is wasting their early morning hours by just going in and doing things haphazardly.”