Gentry Williams and Ayden Gabrielson don't share many similarities.
Williams is a junior, Gabrielson is a sophomore. Williams attends Waukee, Gabrielson goes to Waukee Northwest. Williams is a female athlete, Gabrielson is a male athlete.
But when it comes to sports, the two are more alike than not.
On a first warm and sunny then cool and rainy May evening, both athletes took to the track hoping to earn a spot at the Iowa high school state track and field meet.
Williams and her sprint medley squad – which hold the top time in the state – ran its way to the Blue Oval by finishing first at the Norwalk-hosted qualifier.
Thirty minutes away and after a rain delay, Gabrielson helped his 4x400 relay team to the state track and field meet with a win on its home track.
Both athletes will compete at Drake Stadium this weekend.
And both athletes – once the Iowa high school track and field meet is complete – will continue their success in another spring sport, soccer.
A typical week leaves little downtime
Despite their differences, Williams and Gabrielson share one major similarity: They compete in both soccer and track during the spring season.
But just because they play the same sports, that doesn’t mean they share similar schedules. Williams and Gabrielson have different approaches to the two-sport schedule.
A typical week for Williams looks like this: Soccer practice on Monday, soccer game on Tuesday, track practice on Wednesday, track meet on Thursday, soccer game on Friday. If she’s lucky, sometimes she’ll get a day off, but those are few and far between.
“It’s a lot,” Williams said, still catching her breath from the relay race she’d just finished.
Gabrielson, on the other hand, opted to tackle both sports at the same time.
Waukee Northwest’s track and boys soccer practices don’t overlap, so he often attends both on the same day.
“Go to school, that starts at like 8:10,” Gabrielson said, working through his daily schedule in his head. “Right after school is track practice at 3:30, and that goes to like 4:30 or 5, depending on the workout. Then right after that is soccer, and that goes until about 6.
“Then I go home, have a big dinner and go to sleep.”
Between homework and athletics, there are few free days in the two athletes’ schedules. Soccer games and track meets frequently take place on Saturdays. That leaves Sunday as the only day of rest and recovery for the high schoolers.
Injuries always present a problem
Rest and recovery – or lack thereof – could be a major concern for the dual-sport athletes.
Two days before the state qualifying meet, Williams logged nearly 100 minutes of playing time in Waukee’s double overtime win against Valley. Even with a busy schedule, it isn’t easy to compete – in soccer or track – on tired legs.
“My coaches understand that I’m coming from soccer and I’m already tired,” Williams said. “They let me rest, but they still want me to work hard in practice. It’s just about balancing both and listening to my body.”
Staying healthy is a focus for Gabrielson, as well.
He sticks to the basics: Get enough sleep, drink plenty of water, eat nourishing foods. He utilizes Waukee Northwest’s recovery room and training staff when he needs something more than just rest.
And the other secret to his success in both sports is communication.
“There’s a lot,” Gabrielson laughed, discussing how much he talks to both his soccer and track coaches. “If I’m not feeling good, I just tell my coaches. They understand they’re OK with it. They’ll let me sit out if I need to.”
Why pursue both sports instead of choosing between soccer and track?
Balance isn’t always easy.
For Williams to compete at the state qualifying meet, she skipped Waukee’s final regular season soccer game against Pella. She hoped to catch a livestream of the game – which the Warriors lost, 1-0 – in between track events.
There were times when Gabrielson’s coaches adjusted so he could do both sports on the same night. Once, he ran in the sprint medley and open 400 – finishing first and fifth, respectively – then drove from Indianola to Waukee Northwest for the Wolves’ game against Johnston.
Long days.
Tiring competition.
The chance of missing something in one sport while at the other.
There are plenty of reasons for Williams and Gabrielson to quit one sport in pursuit of another. And they aren’t alone in this dilemma; plenty of other male and female athletes across the state shoulder a soccer and track workload simultaneously.
But ask Gabrielson about why he remains dedicated to both, and his answer will probably be like that of the other athletes balancing a two-sport season.
“I’ve thought about (quitting one) a lot. But I’ve had success in both sports, and I just love both sports. It would be really hard to just drop one.”
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
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