Obviously a very well thought out post BUT what about the multi sport athlete? If a kid plays Football and Basketball when will he have mandated (because mandating it is the only way to insure it happens) time off. He won't. With all due respect to baseball coaches the summer program is not part of the "official" school program and should have no bearing on rules pertaining to high school activities. The same holds for basketball AAU programs and any other "off season" program for any high school sport. There is no perfect time for every sport for the dead period and there never will be, but as long as there are over zealous coaches out there (and they are still there) then an absolute dead period for all sports no exceptions is needed.

Agreed All Tell about the overzealous coaches. :thumb:

Those athletes can't go all summer long, in the heat, family vacations, special Church trips, etc. They need a week off.

Those athletes can't go all summer long, in the heat, family vacations, special Church trips, etc. They need a week off.

 

Absolutely. My son loves football, but he also has 2 younger brothers and taking a family vacation would be out of the question if no dead period exists. He also really enjoys the church camp our youth go on every year. He was going to have to miss it this year because of football, but got lucky and they moved the week to allow him to go. Keep the dead period AD's !!:banana:

Maybe the dead period needs to be changed to the two weeks right after the State Baseball Championship. That way it is not in the middle of the summer and it would always fall over three weekends. As it is now some years is starts on a Wednesday. Makes it harder to plan vacations that way.

When I played I didn't like the dead period, I though it disrupted conditioning and team development.

Most coaches get around the dead period anyway by having their kids do camps or play for non-high school coaches which the KHSAA can't control so not sure that dead period is all the effective anyway. In theory it is good to insulate the kids from fanatical coaches but in practice it doesn't really work that well.

Most coaches get around the dead period anyway by having their kids do camps or play for non-high school coaches which the KHSAA can't control so not sure that dead period is all the effective anyway. In theory it is good to insulate the kids from fanatical coaches but in practice it doesn't really work that well.

This is no reason to scrap a good thing and I would further add that if coaches are indeed "suggesting" that players not take the dead period off they should be reported to the KHSAA.

:thumb:

This is no reason to scrap a good thing and I would further add that if coaches are indeed "suggesting" that players not take the dead period off they should be reported to the KHSAA.

My 10 cents (I type to much to think its only 2 cents).

 

Personally I think the dead period is more for the coaches than it is for the kids. Coaches know that without dead periods, some coaches will practice during those two weeks and if you don't do it also, you risk falling behind those programs that do ( I know several coaches that are not in favor of spring ball but only do it because the rival programs do and they don't want to fall behind those programs)....thus, the coaches would get no summer break at all. I don't agree with that as the coaches could alternate weeks that they are there and the practices would still get covered. Heck I think a lot of coaches would support it being 4 weeks long, but those are not the coaches I want my sons to play for.

 

I'm not really in favor of dead periods. It really doesn't give the kids a rest for their bodies as some people advocate as a legit reason for a dead period, as almost every kid that I know continues to work out during the two weeks anyway.

 

What it does do is allow those kids who don't work out to sit around in the air conditioning, making it harder to get acclimated to the heat when the dead period is over. I'd rather they be out their 3 days a week in helmets during the two weeks getting used to the heat. By permitting helmet only practices during those two weeks, you could add another week or so to the helmet and shoulder pad period, lessen the permissable practice length, and then gradually lengthen it leading up to when you can go full pads. It would be a more gradual acclimation to the heat before full pads are put on and I think much more healthy for the kids.

 

I'd like to think that most coaches would permit players to miss practice during that time to go on family vacations, church camps etc. Missing practice to sit at home and play on the X box would not be acceptable however.

 

Maybe I'm naive and this might not work at some schools where coaches have way too much power, but there is an easy way to handle over zealous coaches: go to the the school board and tell them you will fight their re election if they don't take control of the over zealous coaches. If they don't have the power to do it, go the SBC of the high school and make the same threats. It takes a little courage and spine, but its pretty effective. I know the argument that the coach might take it out on the kids of the complaining parents, but coaches are overzealous usually because they desperately want to win. Any coach worth his salt who wants to win is going to play the best kids even if the coach hates the kids parents. To not do so, would be counter productive to what the overzealous coach is trying to accomplish. And that's to win.

 

Just my thoughts.

:thumb:

That would mean reporting a majority of coaches and if non-high school coaches are coaching them and not using school facilities or they are going to a non affiliated camp then KHSAA has no control nor should they over what these kids do with their time and I stress: IT IS THEIR TIME. But I do agree that coaches shouldn't do this but it happens all the time practically everywhere. To believe otherwise is a bit naive. Not saying it is right, just telling it like it is. You won't get these coaches to admit to this but it happens alot.

Here is what I think. With the Football season being moved back to starting at the first of September the dead period could be held from July 1 to July 31 this would still give football 4 weeks of practice like it is now to get ready for the first game.

That would be a perfect plan. As it stands now Football is getting an extra week of practice. Maybe some extra scrimmages or starting on Oct 1st would equal things out for the basketball folks.

This would give all the kids that play for summer baseball teams that are not affiliated in anyway with their respective school teams a whole month to not worry about their kids going to basketball, football, soccer or whatever. Most summer teams are Legion, Usssa, Academy teams, etc. and are not legislated by KHSAA. I've never heard a High School baseball coach agree with the dead period being in the summer anyway since baseball is played all over the world in the Summer.

If the dead period is removed, and athletes wanted to attend a Church originized trip(e.g. mission work, camp, etc.) would they be able to still, avoiding extra flopping or running. I know there was a debate a few years ago in Danville about the balance between Church and sports. Would this end up infringing on a students religous rights as an American?