"Just wait until next year."

It’s an especially favorite end-of-season refrain for fans. Whether uttered with relish or despair, the anticipation of what next season will bring carries them through the period between the end of one year and the beginning of another.

But a defined "off season" is not the reality for thousands of NCAA student-athletes. For many of them, especially at the elite level in most sports, "next year" begins at almost the same moment "this year" ends. Unlike the fans who cheer them on, more and more student-athletes spend less and less time recovering between seasons — continuing instead to train, practice and prepare. Anymore, being an NCAA student-athlete is a year-round pursuit.

It’s not a new phenomenon. University of Oklahoma head athletic trainer Scott Anderson in fact cites a Sports Illustrated article from 1973 that references off-season workouts as the order of the day. He believes, as do many others in intercollegiate athletics, that the trend is here to stay.

"(Off-season commitments are) always going to be there in some form. It’s like everything else —-it’s going to undergo constant change. But I don’t see it being eliminated," said Anderson.

In the early 1990s, athletics administrators — concerned about a report that revealed student-athletes were spending too much time on athletics pursuits — developed legislation designed to limit student-athletes’ participation in countable athletically related activities outside the playing season. Although it has undergone periodic revisions in the intervening years, much of that legislation is still in effect.

But these days, it’s more common to find student-athletes continuing to hone their on-the-field skills rather than indulging in any kind of off-season, whether on their own or within the confines of NCAA legislation that dictates the traditional and nontraditional seasons.

Even the NCAA governance structure takes the year-round phenomenon for granted. In recent years, more legislative proposals blanket activities during the summer. Year-round drug testing, for example, recently was added for football and baseball. At the time of the announcement, NCAA Associate Director of Education Outreach Mary Wilfert said the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports previously has been hesitant to test into the summer months because of concerns about extending student-athletes’ participation in a sport beyond a traditional season. "But the reality is," Wilfert said, "that student-athletes don’t take the summer off."

On the surface, the year-round student-athlete paradigm may appear out of whack, but not everyone — not even all student-athletes — sees a problem. Megan Burd, a softball student-athlete at Wheeling Jesuit University and a member of the NCAA Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, said that most student-athletes are driven to succeed. Many believe that to accomplish their goals they must train year-round.

"As student-athletes, we often — rightly so — adopt the mentality that for every minute we spend idle, our competitors are getting ahead," she said.

External pressures, too

Others feel the weight of expectations to perform in addition to their own personal desire to achieve. Doug Tima, a football student-athlete at Otterbein College and a member of the Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, said even in Division III, people expect to see "the next level of play." He agrees that part of the pressure to reach that level is internal and comes from knowing that someone just as good and just as motivated to win playing time is waiting for an opportunity. Consequently, being in top condition is essential.

"Any athlete wants to play and they are going to do what they need to do to play," Tima said.

University of Arizona basketball student-athlete Anna Chappell believes that in addition to wanting to do well for the sake of the team, some student-athletes are pressed by coaches working overtime to keep their jobs or by programs that are trying to increase revenue to survive.

Albright College Director of Athletics Steve George agrees that many coaches feel pressured to have their athletes train all year — otherwise they won’t be able to keep up with the programs that do.

"If the coach can’t field competitive teams, he or she won’t last long. Who can blame them for wanting their athletes to play all year? It’s their job on the line. While I understand it, I don’t have to like it. It really does sadden me," he said.

Whether internal or external, the pressures to train and compete constantly can begin well before student-athletes arrive on college campuses. Burd said talent and competition levels are increasing in sports across the board — not just at the collegiate level, but in the pre-collegiate environment, too. She points to Junior Olympic softball and AAU basketball as examples.

"Even young and adolescent athletes are being exposed to increased levels of competition that, in many cases, require year-round training to be successful. Many serious, competitive teams for young athletes require participating in practices and leagues all year long."

George believes that grass-roots pressure has influenced athletes to specialize in a particular sport at an early age, particularly in pursuit of a scholarship or dreams of becoming the next Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods. It’s a movement he believes has taken some of the joy out of participating in multiple sports and may leave athletes vulnerable to burnout. But as a former multi-sport student-athlete and coach himself, George is well acquainted with the reality of the situation.

"The vast majority never get that scholarship or make a living playing professional sports. Many will burn out because they are simply sick of it and quit after a year. Many don’t even go on to play in college," he said.

Making a choice

Burnout isn’t the only concern about the year-round model. As hard as it is to remember at times, the athletes who thrill and impress fans each week also are college students. The constant routine of games, practices, conditioning sessions and other obligations can encroach on classroom duties, social activities or the pursuit of other interests. The athletic training community, among others, is taking note.

David Klossner, NCAA associate director for education outreach, said another major concern is whether student-athletes are at increased risk for "overuse" injuries, raising the question whether all of the training and competition has a level of diminishing return. Further, given student-athletes’ demanding schedules, some administrators also wonder whether student-athletes have time to properly fuel their bodies with nutritious foods.

"These kids don’t have any time to be kids, for personal growth, to explore options in college," said Klossner. "There’s just a lot of pressure and not a lot of downtime."

Klosser said it’s too early to confirm with data from the NCAA’s Injury Surveillance System whether a higher risk of overuse injuries among student-athletes exists. As of yet, there are no concrete data to back up the over-training and nutritional concerns, but research is being developed.

However, student-athletes aren’t oblivious to the issues and concerns being raised, either.

"It has been made part of the collegiate culture that you ultimately need to be the best — and being the best means working harder than the person next to you. For many athletes, this means putting in the extra time when they could be resting or studying or engaging in more social activities," she said. "Most student-athletes probably agree with our athletic trainers, but for most of us, it’s easier said than done. Ask any athlete if he or she enjoys sitting out of a game or practice to let an injury heal properly when they otherwise could be training or working out. It’s tough, and it’s only getting tougher."

But Chappell believes the proper parameters are in place for regulating practice times for preseason, in-season and postseason competition, and she said those parameters have provided student-athletes with healthier and safer environments in which to compete. She also noted that several teams now provide training tables for teams.

To Chappell’s point, the "20-hour rule" limits the time student-athletes can spend involved in athletically related activities on a weekly basis during the playing season as well as outside that season.

Also on the nutrition front, the Association is launching a study that, among other things, explores how student-athletes spend the per diems they receive for away contests and whether they are using those funds to eat healthfully. That Division I effort dovetails with an NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspect of Sport study covering all divisions that focuses on student-athletes’ ability to get adequate nutrition and what role their use of nutritional supplements plays in this effort.

A number of other NCAA groups are focusing on the issue as well, including the Life and Work Balance Task Force. Additionally, the NCAA National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee has been charged with examining student-athletes’ time demands and how they relate to balancing their academic, athletics and social obligations. That group is expected to generate findings with the next 18 months.

Ultimately, though, whether a student-athlete devotes year-round attention to his or her sport is a choice he or she must make, according to Otterbein’s Tima, who acknowledges that heading into his 14th season of playing football, his body is worn and torn. He also admits that the time spent on training has caused him to reschedule or miss activities he otherwise would enjoy, but he said it’s a choice student-athletes must make.

Tima also points out the benefits to year-round training, such as helping to keep student-athletes out of trouble and their minds focused on the game. He also believes many of the bonds established among team members are made through off-season and year-round training, rather than during in-season competition.

But the Division II SAAC’s Burd thinks there should be some balance. As part of a Division II program that emphasizes the balance between the student and the athlete, she said her school and her coaches have mandated that academic commitments are the first priority. While she recognizes that’s not the case for many of her fellow student-athletes, she said it’s important for the sake of student-athlete well-being that programs aim for that goal.

"As student-athletes, we never want to sacrifice a competitive edge or fall behind," Burd said. "However, to be at our best as a whole person, and a future professional, we also need to make sure that our priorities are in the correct order and that our lives stay in balance."

In the end, both Tima and Chappell feel that the NCAA does well to support the student-athletes’ best interests.

"I do feel that student-athletes are concerned with the amount of discretionary time they have to devote toward academic, social and personal pursuits," said Chappell. "However, most student-athletes do understand the opportunity they have been given. As student-athletes, we do have a greater responsibility than most, but we do deserve a regular experience as well. With the help of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the NCAA, we will continue to devise ways for student-athletes to have the best experience possible."