San Marcos student-athletes getting back in shape at FAST Camp

The Rattlers have been in offseason all summer long, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been busy.

Since June 10, San Marcos student-athletes have been at the high school for three hours a day, Monday through Thursday, as part of the school’s Functional Agility, Speed and Technique (FAST) Camp.

Eight hours of the week are spent solely on strength and conditioning, getting the athletes in good shape for the upcoming school year. Another two hours of the week are focused on sport-specific training, a brand new rule created by the University Interscholastic League (UIL) this year allowing the students to learn the nuances of their sport. The other two hours are offset with character-building sessions, instilling sportsmanship and competitiveness into the athletes.

“They've learned techniques all summer long, now they put the scheme to it,” San Marcos athletic director and head football coach Mark Soto said. “Without a doubt, it's going to help in all of our sports. We committed to working out all summer and being here with the kids. We told the kids, 'If you go on vacation, that's great. We want you to have a good time. But if you're in San Marcos, you need to be working out with us.' And that's what's happened.”

Soto estimates they’ve averaged over 100 campers a day and has seen all of them make significant strides physically. For instance, senior defensive lineman Chris Solis recently reached his goal of bench pressing 315 pounds for a max rep.

“I've seen myself get a lot stronger and faster,” Solis said. “Because we're constantly just in the weight room and making sure that nobody's slacking off and missing reps. And we're doing really good drills outside to make sure all of our starts and conditioning is good.”

Soto said the sports-specific training will help teams get a significant head start in training camp. In years past, teams have essentially started the school year with a clean slate. Now, the baseline will be much higher.

Senior wide receiver Diego Cruz said he expects to see a difference this season.

“I think it will help a lot. Everybody in here, everybody that has been showing up is getting stronger, faster, mentally ready for the season,” Cruz said. “We've been trying to get right for the beginning of the season because we know two-a-days is going to hit us hard.”

The camp will officially come to an end on Aug. 22, though all football and volleyball players will have begun training camp by then. Soto hopes to continue doing FAST Camp each summer to see how the younger athletes improve year over year.

“(My) favorite part of camp has probably been watching the kids bond, watching the kids laugh together, enjoy workouts and kind of getting that lifelong fitness mode,” Soto said. “It's just amazing to watch the growth of a seventh and eighth grader, a ninth grader that stays at it all summer long, and see the difference between where they could barely get the technique right in the weight room and then at the end of the summer, they've got weight on there that you didn't even expect them and put on there. So it's been real neat watching the young ones grow.”