Eva Ludwig
Many athletes find that they have the need to continue dedicating time and effort outside of the sports season in order to stay fit and competitive. For a lot of fall athletes, this means having practices even during the summer.
Many sports, including football, golf, sideline cheer, track and more, have optional training scheduled over the summer. These practices allow athletes to refresh their skills and prepare for the official season even when school is not in session.
Sophomore sideline cheer co-captain Emma Dwight appreciates the opportunities that additional practices can bring.
“I like [summer practices],” Dwight said. “You can see your team and you can get to know your team. It’s [also] a good way to stay fit during summer.”
Summer practices are also useful for improving skills. Many mention seeing a large improvement after consistently practicing their sport over the summer.
“I’ve definitely grown as a dancer,” said sophomore and sideline cheer co-captain Chloe Watson. “Also, I’ve become more vocal and become a better leader [compared to] last year.”
While many athletes appreciate the opportunity to get some more training in, having additional practices during the summer can be a problem for those who want to travel, participate in academic programs, get a summer job or just get something else done with their time.
For some sports, athletes have to commit a huge amount of time from their summer, maybe even more so than during the season.
“[We had practices] from two all the way to seven,” said sophomore junior varsity football player David Perez. “[They occurred] about five days a week.”
Summer practices are technically optional, but participation in these practices could affect chances of getting better opportunities on the team or even getting into a higher level, which makes attendance important for athletes who want to get further in their sport.
“The more consistent you are about showing up, the [greater chance for] better spots you have,” Watson said. “And that goes [for] a lot of [other] sports [as well].”
Some coaches have different opinions on exactly how required summer practice attendance should be. This depends on both the sport and the coach’s personal preference.
“A lot of players missed [summer] practice,” said sophomore junior varsity golf player Charlie Liu. “[My coach] was understanding because he knew a lot of the summer practices [could be] hard to make. [He had no objections] as long as I went to a driving range while I was on vacation.”
On the other hand, some coaches care more about regular attendance of summer practices. They believe the willingness to commit yourself, even outside of the athletic season, shows a lot about personal motivation and work ethic.
“My coach was very serious about [not skipping summer practices] because he wanted us to become disciplined,” Perez said. “Showing up could show the coaches that you’re consistent and [they] can trust [you] to show up on time.”
While summer practices vary for different sports, the general consensus is that they are helpful for staying in shape even outside of the season or even getting some more practice in. It is also very impressive to see how much coaches care about the development of their players.
“I really appreciate the fact that some coaches will give up their summer vacation to help their athletes improve and not forget the skills they learned during the season,” Liu said.
Ultimately, it is evident that even during the summer, many athletes and coaches were active and hard working in hopes of obtaining better results in the upcoming season.
