Now that we are here, I'd like to see Dead Period expanded to at least 3 weeks and maybe 4.  Any thoughts?

It'll never be a month, IMO. I could see it possibly expanding to three weeks, but that seems unlikely as well.

Why? Since dead period applies to athletics, and not academics, why increase the break? Is there an existing problem an additional week or two alleviates?

 

The diocese of Covington used to expand to three weeks, but this year did not.  I am not sure why.  It was kind of nice honestly.  By the time you throw in AAU basketball there is no time to just be a kid.

I know of several schools that do very little the last week before to kind of give the kids and their families an extra few days.  If you are efficient with your time with the players, I don't think a team loses any real opportunity to improve.  Just gives the kids a few extra days off.  There are programs out there that work A LOT!  Three weeks wouldn't hurt anyone. 

Couldn't coaches just make it happen? Many lose kids to AAU basketball and Travel Baseball. Seems there is a big trend for kids to be doing strength and conditioning with outside providers too.

Scott Co takes all of June off. They’ve been doing it for years. After school gets out they don’t see the players until the dead period is over. 

I like the concept of just having the month of June a "Voluntary" time period prior to Dead Period.  There are some students that just need that interaction with fellow students and coaches based on their home life or just personal mental health.  Make this time more of strength/conditioning maybe some light skill work peppered in....could also throw in some team bonding events just to build up chemistry without knocking kids heads off at 110% live.

Interesting that Scott County just scraps the whole month with nothing.....

 

Between AAU basketball, summer baseball, and college recruiting camps (these are becoming so common for players wanting to play at any level), I would look at everything until after the 4th of July as more of a voluntary time period where if you do not have other sports obligations you should be there for weights, conditioning, etc. After the 4th of July, it is go time. 

In the old days ( you know us old guys like talking about those times)

Our guys would lift from July 10 until the end of school year  because of weightclass. We would tell them use June for football camps, play baseball, and play basketball... we will see you July 10. Those guys were geeked up to start the season when they came back.

Toward the end at Mason, we would lift three days a week in June. I think it hurt us. We did not have the same juice and energy that we had the previous years when the kids came back in July.

After 30 years, I am super impressed with the programs that get it done in rural areas without weightclass. If you don't have weightclass correct, you almost have to lift in June. When we have had to lift, we went 7 am - 8 am, Monday, Tuesday & Thursday. That went as well as about anything else we could have done. 

Being a football guy, I would like to get started back around July 6, but 3 or 4 days is not that big of a difference. 

Ideally with weightclass, Perfection workouts, and spring football, you have so much built into the school year from January through May, you can take off a little time in June and give them a break. 

The dead period is good for everyone,  players, coaches and families. Most programs begin in January with strength and conditioning then spring ball so that’s nearly 5 months straight. That 3-4 weeks off is like gold for everyone to re-charge not only physically but more important mentally because burnout is real. 
Everyone needs to get away from everyone, players can work out on their own and the families of not only the players but the coaches can realize that much needed connection time. July will be here before you know it and the energy levels for all will be up because the grind is real and it’s long season. 
 

I still believe the season starts too early. From what I understand, KY starts earlier than any other state outside of Alaska, who starts early for obvious reasons. I think an August 1st start date, with first games around Labor Day  would allow the dead period to  run the whole month of July and give kids time to be kids and for families to plan summer stuff together. Lose the bye week, get rid of the first week of the playoffs (which means not everyone gets in) and there is little impact to the season. I'd also move back the start dates for winter and spring sports a couple weeks and eliminate at least a 1/2 dozen games from those schedules.