Spring Tourneys Come At Interesting Times
May 24, 2018 at 4:23 p.m.
By Roger Grossman-
I enjoy open houses. During the school year, I get to see kids at practice, before and occasionally after games, and in the hallways outside the athletic department during passing periods.
But open houses let me see what their environments are the rest of the time. And I am not so much comparing one house or family to another, but comparing the kid I know to the kid that I never get to see.
Oh, and I don’t mind a good pulled pork sandwich, BBQ meatballs, some mixed fruit (heavy on the bananas and pineapple) and, of course, graduation cake (I always lean toward white cake when there is a choice).
But with all that hoopla to come, for spring-sport athletes, there is business to tend to before all of that, or in the middle of all of it.
We are now smack-dab in one of the most interesting weeks of the high school sports calendar.
It’s the last week of school at Warsaw. For seniors and underclassmen, this time of year is hard. Coaches know what I am talking about. The last week at a lot of schools means a more laid-back approach, some different and usual activities and schedules and less traditional classroom work. Kids can take their foot off the gas and lose their edge, which can be devastating to the team they are on.
Final exams. For true student-athletes, the last few days of school mean a quest to finish strong on their last classroom tests of the school year. Finals help shape your final grades in a class, which affects your GPA, which affects what colleges see when they consider accepting you.
Spring Fever hits its peak. The weather is supposed to be at its warmest and nicest, Cupid is more active and summer plans become closer to being reality. It’s hard to shake off the day dreams of pontoons on a crystal-clear summer day, a tug on the end of a fishing line or toes in the white sands of a gulf beach.
The future gets big in the windshield. For seniors especially, as they are working on finalizing their scholarship and financial aid portfolios. They might be registering for classes. They might be sweating out who their roommate is going to be or trying to get to know someone who’s been assigned to them. They might be looking for a job for the summer, or for a lot longer.
And in the middle of all of that, girls track regionals were Tuesday night, the boys regionals are tonight, the tennis regional semifinals were Tuesday and the finals were last night, and baseball and softball’s sectionals are this week.
What a crazy time!
I feel for spring sports coaches. They work all winter to get teams ready for a very short season, and then in their most important week they find their stiffest competition not from other teams, but from the last week of school, final exams, spring fever and the impending summer.
I don’t have any stats to back this up, but it also seems like more kids find trouble late in the spring, too. More parties where drinking and other illegal activities happen take place during May – prom being the epicenter of that.
I used to get discouraged at the way kids’ athletic performance would fall off here at the end of May, but as I get older I understand it. I think more than the disappointment of a rough ending for some kids, I am impressed by those who can stay focused, avoid the potholes and landmines and shine in this moment. I celebrate kids who press on until the job is done.
That is a personality trait that will pay off for them in every way as they mature. Colleges like that in their students and athletes. Businesses like that in their employees and leaders. It also will make you a better spouse and a parent.
So have a great week kids … in everything you’re doing.
I enjoy open houses. During the school year, I get to see kids at practice, before and occasionally after games, and in the hallways outside the athletic department during passing periods.
But open houses let me see what their environments are the rest of the time. And I am not so much comparing one house or family to another, but comparing the kid I know to the kid that I never get to see.
Oh, and I don’t mind a good pulled pork sandwich, BBQ meatballs, some mixed fruit (heavy on the bananas and pineapple) and, of course, graduation cake (I always lean toward white cake when there is a choice).
But with all that hoopla to come, for spring-sport athletes, there is business to tend to before all of that, or in the middle of all of it.
We are now smack-dab in one of the most interesting weeks of the high school sports calendar.
It’s the last week of school at Warsaw. For seniors and underclassmen, this time of year is hard. Coaches know what I am talking about. The last week at a lot of schools means a more laid-back approach, some different and usual activities and schedules and less traditional classroom work. Kids can take their foot off the gas and lose their edge, which can be devastating to the team they are on.
Final exams. For true student-athletes, the last few days of school mean a quest to finish strong on their last classroom tests of the school year. Finals help shape your final grades in a class, which affects your GPA, which affects what colleges see when they consider accepting you.
Spring Fever hits its peak. The weather is supposed to be at its warmest and nicest, Cupid is more active and summer plans become closer to being reality. It’s hard to shake off the day dreams of pontoons on a crystal-clear summer day, a tug on the end of a fishing line or toes in the white sands of a gulf beach.
The future gets big in the windshield. For seniors especially, as they are working on finalizing their scholarship and financial aid portfolios. They might be registering for classes. They might be sweating out who their roommate is going to be or trying to get to know someone who’s been assigned to them. They might be looking for a job for the summer, or for a lot longer.
And in the middle of all of that, girls track regionals were Tuesday night, the boys regionals are tonight, the tennis regional semifinals were Tuesday and the finals were last night, and baseball and softball’s sectionals are this week.
What a crazy time!
I feel for spring sports coaches. They work all winter to get teams ready for a very short season, and then in their most important week they find their stiffest competition not from other teams, but from the last week of school, final exams, spring fever and the impending summer.
I don’t have any stats to back this up, but it also seems like more kids find trouble late in the spring, too. More parties where drinking and other illegal activities happen take place during May – prom being the epicenter of that.
I used to get discouraged at the way kids’ athletic performance would fall off here at the end of May, but as I get older I understand it. I think more than the disappointment of a rough ending for some kids, I am impressed by those who can stay focused, avoid the potholes and landmines and shine in this moment. I celebrate kids who press on until the job is done.
That is a personality trait that will pay off for them in every way as they mature. Colleges like that in their students and athletes. Businesses like that in their employees and leaders. It also will make you a better spouse and a parent.
So have a great week kids … in everything you’re doing.
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