Fall HS sports train all summer long?

[NMAmy]

Boy, things have changed since I was in high school. DD is trying out for basketball in the fall and we just got the information for this summer.

Camps I can understand and could work around. There are two week-long camps spaced about a month apart. But they need to attend Open Gym sessions three times a week from 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Seriously--who has a job that would allow them to cart the kids around at those times three days a week for the entire freaking summer? We'll be looking at setting up a car pool but do those times seem a bit ridiculous to anyone else? A lot of these girls are under 16 so having them drive themselves is, unfortunately, not an option. The Open Gym sessions are also being held at the school that is NOT on the city bus route and is too far to walk and along roads with no sidewalks.

Then I have the fun of trying to explain to her dad why dd won't be spending the summer with him in New Mexico as our custody agreement stipulates. He wants her to play basketball, too, but I don't blame him for being upset that they only have about 2 weeks off the entire summer.

I don't want to be labelled the complaining mom or hurt dd's chances but the whole thing seems a little much to me. So, don't flame me--I'm not going to the coach and asking for special treatment or whatever. It does seem like they could work a bit more around regular work schedules though.

Tell me what your kids' summer sports schedule is like so I'll know we're not alone.

 

[Barb D]

Ayup. DS14 has to be in the weight room at school MWF mornings at 7AM all summer. Fortunately he can walk or run home afterward, because I have to get DD12 to her swim team practice 20 minutes away by 8, and then I'm off to work from there.

DS also has a sleep-away football camp (with his team) the week after school gets out, and 2 weeks of football camp at school in August.

 

[NMAmy]

Ayup. DS14 has to be in the weight room at school MWF mornings at 7AM all summer. Fortunately he can walk or run home afterward, because I have to get DD12 to her swim team practice 20 minutes away by 8, and then I'm off to work from there.

DS also has a sleep-away football camp (with his team) the week after school gets out, and 2 weeks of football camp at school in August.

It would be so much easier for me if she started at 7 a.m. I could at least adjust my schedule a bit for that. But 8:30 - 10 is a pain in the patootie.

 

[Maleficent13]

Wow...I wonder what they do in the case of custody arrangements like yours. You'd think they'd have to do something...

 

[MickeysMommy]

Makes me grateful that I was/am a girlie girl and didn't play sports. Don't people realize summer is for vacation. I can agree with you about some camps but not the whole summer

 

[golfgal]

Well, when DS was in Cross Country they were supposed to run all summer, but that is different.

Most of the sports here have year round opportunities to play. Volleyball is a fall sport but the Junior Olympic program gets started in Feb/March and runs until the end of July, then the season for the high school starts mid Aug. The kids squeeze a camp or two into that schedule too. For basketball they have AAU programs that run most of the summer and camps as well. There is weight training all summer for all the sports. Fortunately we are in a smaller town and the kids either ride bikes or car pool with other kids on the team.

 

[NMAmy]

Wow...I wonder what they do in the case of custody arrangements like yours. You'd think they'd have to do something...

Well, luckily her dad is a big jock so he's pretty supportive of her doing this. I think that even he was a little shocked about how much of a time committment this thing is, though. Much more than when I was in school.

Part of my problem is that the girls basketball coach is retiring this spring so it's kind of up in the air for fall. DD wants to make sure that she gets seen by all the assistant coaches so she can have a chance to make the team this fall. Since she was in New Mexico last year and they're on a different schedule (girls play b-ball in the spring there) she missed out last year.

I agree, MM, I do think that teenagers need some structure during the summer but an entire summer is a little crazy.

 

[FayeW]

What does your daughter want to do? Is she ok with giving up her entire summer, missing out on all that time with her Dad, and maybe STILL not making the team?

This outrageous misuse of authority, and it should be addressed with the schoolboard. Not only should this type of summer commitment not be required, it shouldn't even be allowed! Sounds to me like the coaches just want to create their own summer employment.

 

[NMAmy]

What does your daughter want to do? Is she ok with giving up her entire summer, missing out on all that time with her Dad, and maybe STILL not making the team?

This outrageous misuse of authority, and it should be addressed with the schoolboard. Not only should this type of summer commitment not be required, it shouldn't even be allowed! Sounds to me like the coaches just want to create their own summer employment.

DD really wants to do it. Believe me, I'm not much of an athlete at all--if she had no interest or desire to do it, I would never push her to play. At her school in NM, she was slated to play on the varsity team in 9th grade. She's good at it and she enjoys it--and she has played on the team with most of these girls when she went to school here earlier. She has a pretty decent shot of getting on the team. Particularly with a new coach coming in.

It's not something I would really go to the school board with. From what I understand, all fall sports have pretty much the same summer schedule--football, cheerleading, girls basketball.

 

[Bob Slydell]

I don't think it's really changed that much in recent years. I remember back to when I was in high school mumble mumble years ago, to make varsity baseball we were expected to be in the weight room a couple times a week during the off-season, plus play summer ball, plus make "optional" workouts (e.g. non-mandatory, mandatory practices) during the winter.

I opted out because I couldn't devote that much time -- I regretted it some days, but I was glad that I was free to do other things with my time.

 

[ColoradoBuffaloMom]

You have descirbed my life due to my 15 DS playing soccer. There is drop in soccer every Saturday through the summer. It isn't mandatory but it is pretty well known that to play for the HS team in the fall, you better show up on the Saturdays. The coach does understand that kids will miss some Saturdays due to vacations and club tournaments.

There is an "optional " camp which isn't really optional in early August and then tryouts in mid-August.

On top of that is club soccer practice and tournaments. Also my DS refs adult soccer games so that keeps him busy too (and me since I'm the driver )

As much as this dictates my entire family's life, it is something my son wants to do, is good at, and keeps him busy. Also his grades are fantastic so we,as a family, keep doing this. I know it is somewhat of a pain now, but in a few years he will be out of HS and this will all be over. In the few years of HS sports, we can do this. I know I will miss it when he is in college and on his own.

 

[cats mom]

I feel your pain.

I'm sitting here looking at DD's summer workout/camp schedule and seeing a lot of large, bold MANDATORY designations.
The kids are allowed to miss 8 summer practices (basically 2 weeks) but none of the mandatory ones which are, of course, scattered throughout the summer.

Missing a mandatory practice or any practice above the 8 allowed will result in a demerit.
2 demerits = benched for a game
3 demerits = dismissed from the team

But DD has already made varsity.
I'm sure I'd have a much tougher time supporting her in this kind of schedule in the hopes that she might make the team; but I'm afraid you're right, if you want your DD to have the best chance it's probably best to play along and follow the rules.

As for the times I can see how 8:30 - 10:00 could be tough, but at least it's consistent.

Just glancing over our schedule I see:
1pm - 5pm
8am - 12pm
7am - 10am
7am - 12pm
7am - 5pm
2pm - 7pm
12pm - 6pm

Yea, good luck keeping that all straight. I'm a creature of habit. Give me some consistency.

Thank heavens when my oldest DD was involved in HS sports (she just graduated yesterday!) and had 5am practices she was old enough to drive herself. You better believe I made sure she had access to a car!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Welcome to High School!!!!

My freshman (Now sophmore...) dd is only in Band and that starts at the end of July so she does get some summer.

My thought is that I will do everything necessary to ensure my dd's have a wonderful HS experience. If they have a talent then I will sit back and be proud of them, oh and figure out how to haul them around.

Congrats to your dd!!!

 

[ozarkmom]

My 14 ds just brought the summer football schedule and I'm not happy either. When oldest ds was in H.S. they had to do so many makes (weight lifting, running, practice) in the summer before 2 a days started 2 weeks before the start of school. Now they have 18 makes they have to do plus a couple of team camps then practice with shorts & helmets then with pads. What bothered me is they now have to do the makes certain days of the week from 9-11 when in the past there were other times they could get them done. DS has a church camp and would like to go on a family vacation we're trying to figure out what we can do and him still get all of his football requirements in. Guess it's a good thing he decided to not play baseball this summer.

 

[NMAmy]

Welcome to High School!!!!

My freshman (Now sophmore...) dd is only in Band and that starts at the end of July so she does get some summer.

My thought is that I will do everything necessary to ensure my dd's have a wonderful HS experience. If they have a talent then I will sit back and be proud of them, oh and figure out how to haul them around.

Congrats to your dd!!!

Thanks, MM! And while I want to be supportive--it's almost like the school is expecting every family to have a stay at home parent. I can't quit my job just so dd can be in basketball, for heaven's sake.

I thought things were supposed to get EASIER in this respect when they were teenagers. I mean, I don't have to worry about day care anymore but at least when she was in daycare, I could take her at the times that worked around my office schedule.

Thanks so much for all the replies, everyone. I'm glad to see it's not just our school that's doing this but kind of sad that kids have to give up so much of their summer break to be in a sport.

I'm a non-athletic kind of girl so it's all new to me.

 

[Keli]

My dd played soccer in hs and the summer practices were killers. One summer she had practice/conditioning every morning from 6:00am-8:00am. It was that early to beat the heat and to work around the coach's summer school schedule I think.

I was taking a full load of classes that summer at a nearby university. In order to play soccer in the fall dd had to go with me to the university every day for the whole summer because I didn't have time to take her home after practice and still make it to my class on time. Turned out though that she loved hanging out there (nice campus, fairly large, lots to do).

Funny note: DD would sit through my french class with me everyday (instructor gave the ok, summer sessions were very laid back at the university and Ashli loved french so she wanted to come in instead of hanging out elsewhere on campus during that hour). He would have her fully participate in class, including taking all quizzes and exams. He never mentioned that he ref'ed local hs soccer games so dd was shocked one day that fall when she was running past a ref and recognized him as my former french instructor. She yelled "Hey You're Dr. ----, a french professor at ---" He laughed and yelled back "And your the kid that did better than her mother in my class!"

 

[Maleficent13]

I am taking notes: I know this will be my life in 12-13 years. My idea of "mandatory summer activity" was going to the library...

 

[Bob Slydell]

I am taking notes: I know this will be my life in 12-13 years. My idea of "mandatory summer activity" was going to the library...

Forget 12-13 years. You should see my 5 year old's summer schedule. Granted, most of it isn't mandatory, but there's not a lot of free time in there it seems.

 

[NMAmy]

I am taking notes: I know this will be my life in 12-13 years. My idea of "mandatory summer activity" was going to the library...

Absolutely. Luckily, dd is a reader, too, or we'd have NOTHING in common.

 

[poohandwendy]

This outrageous misuse of authority, and it should be addressed with the schoolboard. Not only should this type of summer commitment not be required, it shouldn't even be allowed! Sounds to me like the coaches just want to create their own summer employment.

Wow, are you serious? These are optional HS competitive sports. No one is required to try out. These teams start competing in the fall. When do you think they are supposed to train for the season?

It would be different if these sports were required. But, to be part of a team you have to be able to commit to the work and time involved. Just like anything else in life. I do not think that is too much to ask of a Hs age player.

To the OP, I would definitely look into a carpool for the kids. The reason they have them going in for open gym time, so often, is that they really need to condition before they start really working on practice. It's not just something to do, it is for the team to have players that are in the shape they need to be to compete. I would be more concerned if they didn't have a regular conditioning schedule.