While most high school students in the area are working on their tans or enjoying other spring break rituals, many area student-athletes are spending their week off the usual way — practicing and conditioning for the sport they love.
The break affects teams and sports differently. Some have practices or conditioning earlier or later than normal. Some practices are lighter or shortened or only consist of a few days rather than the normal five- or six-day regimen.
Many of the fall and winter sports that may hold conditioning during the spring will give athletes the week off. Still others will spend their coveted week off in the gym, the weight room or on the playing field.
There is no rule against it. The Florida High School Association has no regulations of when or how much teams are allowed to practice during spring break, and it would be hard to set such a rule, because different school districts take different weeks off.
Still, is it fair to make 14- to 18-year-olds practice or even play on their week off from school?
I view it as a necessary evil. And after talking with several area coaches, I got similar feedback.
Taking a week off from a sport can be detrimental to a team, especially spring sports, which are currently in the heart of their seasons.
“We just can’t take a whole week off from hitting,” said Strawberry Crest softball coach Mindy Miltner.
And why should they? The Lady Chargers are off to their best start yet at 10-1. You don’t want to do anything to hurt that kind of momentum.
Spring break in high school can almost be viewed as a bye week in professional sports, where, even for athletes and coaches who make millions of dollars, the break debate rages. A bye week can be the best or the worst thing for a pro team, depending on how that team is doing leading up to the break. The same can be said at the prep level.
When your team is hot, the last thing you want is a break in your daily routine.
All three area baseball teams not only are practicing but also competing this week in the annual Saladino Tournament, held every year to coincide with spring break in Hillsborough County.
For the large tournament (28 teams are in the field this year), having it on spring break makes sense. Players don’t have school, so games can be played all day at multiple sites. It would be hard to have a tournament of this scale on any other week of the year.
For football, known for being a year-round sport (including spring conditioning and practice), different programs treat the break differently.
Durant football tweeted this message Monday: “To the Durant family, have a safe and relaxing spring break! One week until we get back to work.”
For football and other fall and winter sports, taking a few days or a whole week off won’t have the same effects. However, I suspect that area coaches hope their players still are working out on their own, even if that means running on a beach.
With many of the spring sports, especially baseball and softball, athletes don’t have that luxury. Being in driving distance to some beaches allows athletes to have day trips if they want, but a weeklong cruise or an excursion up north is definitely out of the question for most spring-sport athletes.
Some may view this as unfair. After all, they are just kids. But they also made a commitment to the sports they choose to play. Sacrificing their spring break is simply one of the negative aspects of the dedication one must give to succeed.
Although some may wish they were anywhere else, I know there are plenty of athletes that gladly choose to catch some rays on the playing field in a uniform than on a beach towel in a swimsuit.
And it’s those athletes who make sports such a great thing.WiHack Mobile
