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Steamboat Springs — It may have been classified as a mandated 10-day break, but that description couldn't be further from the truth.

While the Colorado High School Activities Association requires high school athletic teams to take 10 days off for the holidays - coaches can't be present at practices - teams in Steamboat stayed sharp during their 10-day vacations with player- and volunteer-run practices.

The Steamboat Springs High School girls and boys basketball teams, as well as the school's wrestling team, kept busy during the break.

"We did a lot of conditioning because you can't afford to lose your conditioning," said Steamboat wrestler Derek Morris, who along with teammate Houston Mader worked out with the Hayden High School wrestling team during the break, taking off only Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. "It was a lot of different styles that helped out."

Both basketball teams held open-gym practice sessions, where players worked on skills and tried to stay in shape.

It was especially important for the wrestlers to stay in shape over the break. With official team practices beginning Wednesday and the first meet in Eagle Valley on Saturday, Mader said not practicing was not an option.

"We'd have hour practices," Mader said. "It was 20 minutes of going over moves and takedowns, then after that it was all conditioning."

For boys basketball coach Kelly Meek and girls basketball coach John Ameen, the break presented a different dilemma. While both coaches will be able to get in five full practices before Tuesday's game at Moffat County, the break presents a Catch-22.

While it gives players time to heal and rest from the pre-league portion of the schedule, it also initially thwarts some of the growth each team had before the break.

"You get them some rest, but they don't need 10 days. They need more like three or four," Ameen said. "It's just a matter now of getting them back into game shape and getting them back into what we were doing well before the break."

What might make the break easier for both basketball teams will be the intense opening game against rival Moffat County, a match-up that will demand focus.

"It's always fun to play Craig," Steamboat boys basketball guard Michael Vandahl said. "It will be good on Tuesday night at their place. We always look forward to playing Craig. That's what we got to look forward to all break."