The weather is getting warmer, school is getting out, and the fall sports have already been doing tryouts and planning their summer practice schedule.
All the fall sports are already getting ready for the year to start and they are getting the team bonds built before the games start. They teach them plays and work with them so they are ready for games.
Summer practices also help the team learn how to be a team for the games that are even before the school year starts making summer practices necessary.
“I get a chance to learn plays early, but I also develop with my teammates,” Hayden Benson said, “I can help them out and build bonds. I think a big part of football is chemistry and it helps us learn the plays as a team.”
The team gets to learn how to work with each other so the plays will run smoother. They will have friends to ride the bus with to games or ask for a ride to practice. Without the summer practices, the team would not learn how to work with each other soon enough before the games.
Summer practices will also weed out the weaker players and show who are committed. The coaches will look at the kids who are showing up daily and will consider that when picking varsity players.
“Summer practices show who wants to be on varsity and who does not,” Head football coach Schroeder said. “It signifies who is the most committed to the team, so it is a factor in the picking.”
The commitment to the team is shown through getting better and summer practices will show the coaches how badly you want that spot.
“There is not much of a decision. Summer practice is pretty much mandatory, especially for me. If I did not show up, Schroeder would probably show up at my house with burning sticks,” Benson said, “The ultimate decision is do you want to be on the team or not, so the choice is to play football, so that is why I go.”
There are challenges in the practices, and many of the main challenges are getting up early in the morning, especially since school is out.
“Waking up early, staying motivated, and keeping the teams’ energy up while during summer,” Terry Davis said, “Getting enough sleep the night before is a good way to keep up with practices. A typical summer practice is we wake up early, hit the weight room then run through plays.”
A lot of work is put in during summer practices, from lifting in the weight room to practicing plays on the field.
They work to grow as a player and earn their spot. They also get them ready so they can win the games before the school year begins.
“They get us stronger and faster,” Carter Vanak said. “They teach us plays so that we are not lost on the field. We get strong and create a brotherhood.”
