After a tough loss to Bettendorf in the substate final last season Jack McCaffery ’25 began his off-season a little earlier than planned. This loss was at the forefront of his mind and is what pushed him most throughout the off-season.

“I thought that we didn’t accomplish what we should have, I think we’ve learned a lot from it and I have personally just kind of  [realized] what it takes to get [to the state tournament],” McCaffery said. 

His off-season was quite busy with playing Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) from April to May, then playing in summer league with West during June, and finally finishing a competitive summer with another month of AAU in July. McCaffery returns to West for his final season with clear goals to win lots of games and have it all culminate in a state championship.

“I want to win the state tournament, and I’m more focused on team success since we haven’t had great team success since I’ve been at West,” McCaffery said.

He worked to better his athleticism the most in the offseason because he believes it is crucial for college. McCaffery will join his older brother Conor at Bulter University, where he announced his commitment to play basketball on July 29.

Trinity Myers ’25 spent most of her off-season working by herself. Many athletes might struggle to stay motivated while working alone, but Myers had no issues. She had clear goals for this upcoming season and used her faith to motivate her.

“Honestly, a lot of prayer goes into it. I’m Christian, I just spent a lot of time, like, praying about it, putting it in God’s hands,” Myers said. 

She entered the off-season to become better and start the new season off strong. In order to achieve this Myers spent time watching videos to better understand how to improve, and did a lot of lifting and cardio to push her physical limits. Myers found ways to balance her jobs while still working on herself.

“You can still find a way to be competitive with six year olds doing push ups and stuff like that,” Myers said.

She’s looking forward to measuring her progress against others in the upcoming season and helping the underclassman find a passion for wrestling that helped Myers improve all off-season.

Winston Fan ’26 used his off-season to push his limits in and out of the pool. From early morning lifting sessions to hitting the pool twice a day, Fan’s offseason was anything but leisurely. He is part of the local club IFLY, a university-based club where Fan found himself working out every day except Sunday during the summer. Fan spent time improving many things but mostly focused on improving his stroke.

“I really wanted to improve my main stroke, which is breaststroke … and hopefully you can take that effort from the summer and translate it to the high school season so that we perform well during state, ” Fan said.

When reflecting on his prior season Fan realized he would never be able to achieve his goals without consistency; something he had been lacking. Using that lesson, Fan hit a new gear during the offseason.

“This year, I improved a lot. I went to every single practice, staying consistent with my sleep schedule, [and] waking up early. Staying consistent was the big thing for me,” Fan said.

He is looking forward to diving into a leadership role for his high school team this season and forming new bonds with the incoming freshmen.

Grace Fincham’s ’26 off-season is packed with rigorous training and competition, primarily through her involvement in AAU basketball. Between weekend tournaments and weekday practices, she dedicates several hours to sharpening her skills and staying in shape.

“In the summertime, I have a lot of AAU, and usually over the weekends, we go to tournaments; the weekends that we don’t have tournaments, we have practice,” Fincham said.

Her schedule is intense, with AAU practices lasting up to five hours on weekends and additional sessions during the week. Despite the demanding workload, she prioritizes rest by taking one or two days off when possible.

Fincham stays motivated by focusing on her long-term goals, including playing Division 1 basketball and earning an academic scholarship.

“Knowing where my end goal is. I want to play basketball in college at a D1 school, and I want to get a really good scholarship,” she said.

She reflects on her high school season to identify areas for improvement, emphasizing leadership and skill development. Her dedication and ability to balance training with rest have helped her make noticeable progress, and she is ready for the season to come.