Work doesn’t stop for athletes in summer

Published 5:45 am Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Ahh, the summertime. It’s time for kicking back, sleeping late and taking trips to the beaches, lakes or mountains, right?

Not for the athletes of Limestone County, both in youth sports and high school. Instead of taking it easy while school is out, they are busy competing or working to get better before the school season starts.

Young baseball and softball players spend the summer participating in leagues and tournaments, both recreation and travel, heading off to places for weekends of competition.

One such event took place in Athens last weekend as the USSSA state softball tournament opened at the Sportsplex. Two teams from Athens and two from Limestone County took part in the event, which was for players age 6-16. There are numerous events such as this all across the state and region, as teams look to test themselves against the best competition they can find.

Having coached my daughter’s travel soccer team for the past two years, I understand why kids and coaches love doing it so much. For the players, it’s a chance to have fun playing a sport they love with friends and pushing themselves to get better at it.

As a coach, the most thrilling part is seeing your players get better. Winning games is secondary. Sure, you want to win, but the most exciting thing is seeing the improvement from the first practice of the season to the final game, and watching them do things they couldn’t do before.

While many youth are playing in tournaments, high school athletes are gearing up for another school season, even in sports that might be many months away.

Football players have been hitting the weight rooms in earnest this summer, getting stronger and tougher for the season that will start in just two months.

New West Limestone football coach Shelby Davis calls the weight room “the foundation of high school football,” and it’s hard to argue with that opinion. The teams that are successful are the ones whose players dedicate themselves to continually getting better.

That means instead of sleeping late and sitting on the couch watching Netflix, they are working out in the weight room, attending camps or getting individual coaching.

But football players aren’t the only ones working on improving their craft during the summer. All high school athletes are doing some work one way or another. Baseball, basketball and soccer players all have been working to get better, either through team workouts, camps or individual training.

The dedication to their sport is especially tested in the summer, when the temperatures climb into the upper 90s and the humidity makes it feel like it’s well over 100 degrees.

For example, Friday’s forecast calls for a high of 93, but the heat index is expected to push the temperature to 110 degrees. It’s the kind of weather that makes you want to stay inside in your air conditioning, right? Not our area athletes. They’re too bushy pushing themselves to get better.

They would rather heed the words of the great Alabama football coach Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant, who once said, “The price of victory is high, but so are the rewards.”

Indeed it is, and those who put in the hard work will see those rewards in due time.

Jeff Edwards can be reached at jeff@athensnews-courier.com.