Summer practices for HS teams

Parents Forum
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<p>Summer "captain's practices" have been a staple of HS sports for a while. Sometimes the practices have been run by the captains out of their sincere to help the team. Sometimes the captains have been mere puppets controlled and directed by the coach as a means to hold practices out of season without breaking state rules about practice start dates. And sometimes we've seen coaches actually run every one of these summer practices. </p>

<p>However, in our town this concept seems to have reached a new level of intensity this year. In mid-June before school was even out, fall and winter teams alike began having practices which are on-going all summer. Attendance is taken, there are training logs to be completed and turned in to the coach, there are fitness and skills "tests" to check if the training regimen is being followed, etc. Vacation? Not a problem, just e-mail the coaches your log showing what training you did while away. Don't have a ride to daily practice at 3 PM? Not an excuse; let us know and we'll find a carpool (granted it will probably be with a senior who isn't supposed to carry more than one non-family member on her junior license). Don't want to get up to make 7:00 AM practice all summer? Tough! Have a job? Well, just know that your lack of attendance may hurt your chances come tryouts. </p>

<p>Yesterday my D even received a threatening e-mail from one coach that warned about not attending practice and not e-mailing training logs and listed the names of which kids as of this moment would be getting uniforms in September. They're stopping just short of saying that practice attendance itself is mandatory, but are definitely saying the coaches must be informed if you can't come to practice and why, and that you must still complete the training and send in the logs. They are also saying that some of the training must be done with the team and can't properly be done alone. So, they are essentially mandatory unless the kid is God's gift to sports.</p>

<p>In theory, I don't have a problem with optional practices in June, July, and early August and then mandatory practices the last 2 or 3 weeks of August. But my D's practices are essentially mandatory all summer long. She is a hard worker, and has been complying with the schedule for the most, but she's getting annoyed at the heavy-handedness and threats and is struggling not to develop a bad attitude about it. After all, she's only 13 and this the summer. It's hard to fit in a trip to the beach or shopping with your friends between the daily AM cross-country training and the 3PM basketball practices. Worse, she could sacrifice sleep and fun all summer and then not even make the team come try-outs!</p>

<p>Now, do I think that if a kid is an exceptional athlete he or she will be taken on the team regardless of summer attendance? Yes, unless the coach is spiteful, a major control freak, or it's his first year as head coach. But I also think that the attendance and training records will get used if they're looking for any excuses to make cuts or if they need help choosing one good player over an equally good player. And therein lies the risk for most kids. </p>

<p>I do appreciate the quest for excellence and the need for hard work to achieve excellence. But I can't help but feeling this is over the top. Am I right? And is this happening just in our area of NJ or is this a national phenomenon?</p>

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<p>A slightly mellower version is happening in Southern California; "summer leagues" that are overseen by the coaches... voluntary and seemingly not used against anyone...</p>

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<p>We also have summer practice in Texas. There are morning sessions from 8-10 and afternoon sessions from 5-7. My s goes to the morning one because it is a heck of alot cooler and he then is done for the day. They are run by paid former football players of the school (college kids). They say that it is not mandatory, but the coaches note who attends and who doesn't. My s is a captain for next year, so he feels the responsibility of showing up every morning as an example to the rest of the team and the younger players. If you can't make it, you let the coaches know your reason and they note it. You aren't required to work out on vacation or at camp or wherever, but it will show in the heat of August when 2 a days start if you've been sitting in air conditioning the whole time. There has also been summer league 7 on 7 with tournaments every weekend, last week was the state tourni, so we are done. This is an invitational team. My s also plays on a summer lacrosse league and it is highly frowned upon by the coach if you aren't there. We have gotten some "threatening" emails from the coach regarding attendence at some practices, but my s was playing 7 on 7 (which is football related) and he wasn't going to miss that for lacrosse. I doubt very seriously that the lacrosse coach will kick my s off for missing practices this summer, he has been on varsity since soph year. But, if he does, so be it...</p>

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<p>the illinois high school association allows more contact days per sport each year--at least it seems that way. for larger schools, that might not be so much since kids tend to specialize a ilttle bit more. in a small high school like my sons', it gets really crazy. trying to keep all the coaches happy, trying to set the example as a captain, trying to make all events for baseball, basketball, football and golf can really be challenging. my kids loved it, so i am not one to complain about it--but i do know that it makes it tough for family vacations and just plain ole' relaxing by the "swimming hole".</p>

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<p>Check with your state HS atheletic association to see what can and can't be done offseason. In our state HS coaches are supposed to stay away from players offseason. I'm sure some don't, but someone has to turn them in.</p>

<p>I would let your D decide if it's worth it. Me? at one time I enjoyed just getting together and working out as a group and didn't worry too much about coach. However, if the coaches were contacting me (especially emails--save em) I might feel different. </p>

<p>It's still going to come down to the best talent plays. If a player skips summer training and can STILL outpreform others...they'll play.</p>

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<p>We don't get emails from the coach or turn in training logs but there is a "voluntary workout" for football every night since school let out. Attendence is taken every night. If there is a reason yu won't be there you have to let the coach know ahead of time and it better be a really good reason. </p>

<p>In our state, practice can officially start on Aug.1 (must have 10 days of conditioning practices before putting on pads and hitting)but unless you are a superstar you can forget getting playing time if you haven't been coming to the summer workouts. </p>

<p>All this really does throw a monkey wrench into summer plans but my S loves football and is willing to do it. Our first varsity game is Aug.18th. So if they didn't start early there's no way they would be ready to play.</p>

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<p>I love football, but I think August practices in Texas in pads are criminal. Every year there are several dead kids from heatstroke. I think it should be flatly illegal to don pads and helmets when temperatures are above 95 degrees. I think it should be illegal to play a game when temperatures at game time are over 90 degrees. And I think there ought to be criminal charges for the next coach that has a kid die because of it. It's a game. It ought to be treated like a game, and it's not worth dieing for.</p>

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<p>Hear, hear!</p>

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<p>bandit, I wish to heavens that football didn't start in August. I would much prefer the season to not start until the temp gets above 90. That would probably be sometime around mid October around here. I think that is part of the reason why coaches really insist that the players be involved in conditioning drills during the summer. The players stay acclimated to the heat. And, our coaches really work at keeping the kids hydrated and not pushing them too soon. I'm not just going by what my s says, but by what I have witnessed by watching practices. I am a junkie! Can't get enough!</p>

<p>Last weekend, my S played at the state 7 on 7 tournament held at Texas A&M. I was appalled at the conditions of some of the teams that were there. While our 7 on 7 coordinator had the event planned like the invasion of Normandy, complete with multiple tents, numerous ice chests full of water, gatorade, frozen fruit, etc., and plenty of snacks and sandwiches, I saw other teams there with literally one ice chest of water. It was not only pathetic, but dangerous, and a kid from Brenham passed out from the heat and had to be wheeled out. Luckily, he was ok and there the next morning. But, my point is that a well run program has a much less likely chance of the awful things you mention in your post above.</p>

<p>If we could all be as rich as Southlake Carrol, and have a covered practice field with air conditioning! Of course they have a jumbotron too...NO expenses spared there!</p>

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<p>I recently quit swimming because the situation OP describes did not only apply to June, July, August... it was all year long, with 2 weeks out of the year off. Granted, this was not for a high school team but it was just getting ridiculous... unless you were extremely sick (having a shattered finger apparently did not qualify as a worthy excuse) you could miss 1 practice a week (had 7 practices a week, 3+ hrs per practice) and had to have a "valid" excuse (3 of our swimmers got into a semi-serious car accident on the way to practice bc they were speeding so they wouldnt be late. they were shaken up but no injuries besides scratches and bruises, and the coach emailed them to say they had 2 days to be back at practice)</p>

<p>I'm only very familiar with one HS's football team (that has many state championships) and I know they do have pretty much mandatory football practices throughout the summer for JV and Varsity.<br>
My brother's team is not very good but they have optional practices for anyone who wants to be on the freshman or JV team and mandatory practices for anyone who wants to be on varsity</p>

<p>I was also told (in a roundabout way) that if I wanted to be on a the varsity softball team at my school I would have to play on a summer and fall team with the other varsity girls, but I declined and probably won't play this spring</p>

<p>For XC we have a schedule we have to follow but we don't practice together in the summer. It's not a exactly team sport so anyone who wants to be good can prepare and anyone who doesn't prepare will pretty much die the first few weeks of practice, and we know it, so we just run on our own</p>

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<p>Unfortunately, there is simply no way to protect all the kids in this kind of heat. There are too many variables, body types, unknown conditions, etc. The only sane approach is to avoid it. I also think the parents are responsible and should be prosecuted along with the coaches, just the same as if they left a baby in a hot car. Parents can correct the situation, but they have to have will.</p>

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<p>unwritten, what you are talking about seems to be the norm for many sports these days. For example, around here if you want to be on the varsity volleyball team, you have to play on a year round tournament team with the other players. My s has a really good friend who didn't want to quit from the tournament team she had been on for years to join the coach's sponsored team (this is outside of school mind you!) so she was black balled by the coach and even though she was an outstanding player, was pretty much told that she would not make varsity and would be cut as a senior unless she changed. So she just chucked it! She is going to be a cheerleader now and to heck with the coach. I think it has gotten ridiculous that all of these sports require year round participation to get you competitive to make the varsity team, whether it be baseball, softball, soccer, etc. My S also has friends that blew out their elbows pitching in junior high, requiring surgery that in the old days would be for men in their 30's. They would often be playing on 3 tournament teams at a time, therefore pitching more than the maximum allowable times per week. Yesterday, I was at physical therapy for a neck problem, when this tiny, cute girl came in for therapy for her wrists, she had to have been maybe 12. She had injured them in gymnastics. Her mom said that she practiced every day and had gotten stress fractures in her wrists. I don't know, this just all sounds crazy to me. Like somebody said above, what happened to the days of swimming in the swimming hole. My s has expressed an interest in playing football in college and is being recruited by several D3 schools. At first, I was supportive because I know what a huge part of his life it has been, but now I am encouraging him to just go to school and do the intermural thing. I want him to have a college experience without the pressure of mandatory practices and sports hanging over him.</p>

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<p>We live in the South and our xc teams had captain's practices throughout July and a lot of kids individually go to a special running camp in a neighboring state for a week. Official practice with the coaches start early August and the top runners from the team go to a different camp as a team.</p>

<p>Those who couldn't make July practice due to work or other commitments were expected to run individually but did not have to turn in logs.</p>

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<p>Step back and take a look at this. I did when a foreign friend commented to me that "in your culture you give coaches unlimited power." We all know what unlimited power produces.</p>

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<p>So bandit what do you suggest? Petitioning all of the states to start football later? It can't happen, schools begin in August, the football season has to be over, including playoffs and state before Christmas. Otherwise it would run into basketball season, which has to end by March for baseball season, which has to end by late May. As long as the school calendar remains the same, the UIL sports calendar will remain the same.</p>

<p>Being one of the parents of a football player, I hope and pray for his safety every time he takes the field, whether it be a practice field or a game field. I also hope and pray he makes it home every day and night that he takes off in his car.</p>

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<p>Same here ag54, many prayers for football players and kids in cars.
We have to have our first varsity game on Aug. 18th even though the first day of school isn't until Aug. 25th. Weird. Otherwise we wouldn't get them all in in time for the play-offs.</p>

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<p>I find this very disconcerting. Except when I find it patently outrageous. The OP's kid is 13 years old! And not allowed to have a summer. </p>

<p>In our small town, the rules are followed as to start dates for practices. In a neighboring larger city, when one school was found to be violating start dates, there were repercussions from the state Principals' Association, which sets the rules.</p>

<p>I am grateful to live in such a place. </p>

<p>Too many parents, coaches and hs sports fans lack all perspective as to where hs athletics should fit in a balanced life.</p>

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<p>I agree jmmom that "Too many parents, coaches and hs sports fans lack all perspective as to where hs athletics should fit in a balanced life." </p>

<p>Unfortunately, if your kid is an athlete and wants to compete, you do what you have to do, and as an individual family, you decide what works and what you will put up with and what you won't. As for my family, we gave up on the baseball tournament teams in junior high. It was too expensive not only monetarily, but time-wise. Others think it is worth it, and to each his own. My senior s loves football, just as someone might love playing piano. It is his passion. I am not going to tell him he has to quit because I don't agree with the coaches. He would kill me if I complained about the time commitment, not only because he does not want to anger the coaches, but more importantly, because he doesn't have any problem with it. If it ever came to a time that he wanted to quit, as my older s did (he quit football after junior year because he didn't like it) then I would support him 100%.</p>

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<p>"Unfortunately, if your kid is an athlete and wants to compete, you do what you have to do, and as an individual family, you decide what works and what you will put up with and what you won't."</p>

<p>What you say, ag54,is certainly true. But it's unfortunate that to be competitive in the world of high school sports today, a kid has to have played on a travel team since age 8 and/or been professionally trained, and must practice year round including summers and holidays. What is also sad is that for this reason it is becoming increasingly difficult to be a 2 or 3 sport varsity athlete.</p>

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<p>This is also why you see a major drop off at 14 in kids sports. The commitment asked for is not worth the outcome sometimes. Granted it depends on the program, but we're seeing more and more kids take up sports that they can do on their terms. Honestly, I can't blame them.</p>