What Does a High School Spring Semester Look Like?

Today’s post will be about the many events that take place during the Spring and what has been the best way to handle them based on three decades of experience.

If you want to have an unset parent, then I double dog dare you to schedule a game on the same night as an academic award night.

If you want to have some students crying because they will miss prom, then schedule a game on that night.

Sometimes the head coach has no choice on when a game takes place. Sometimes they do. That is why it is so important for head coaches and athletic coordinators to communicate and plan with their campus leadership team.

Why? Why shoudl the school administration be made aware of all Spring events? So they can help you, as a coach, avoid a scheduling conflict.

Don’t wait until January to talk to your principal. You should have your entire athletic season planned out by the first day of school. Yes, some dates will be tentative, but at least there is a plan.

Multi-Sport Athletes

As a coach, you should be promoting athletes to participate in as many sports as possible. If you are not doing this, you are doing a disservice to the student.

In the Spring, in Texas, we have baseball, softball, track and field, powerlifting, a little soccer, spring football, band, UIL Academics, academic nights, prom, and graduation to name a few.

If you have an athlete that does it all, plan way ahead so to avoid conflict.

The best way to avoid conflict is all coaches and teachers need to communicate where and when the student will be. The second thing is a district competition will supercede a non-district game. A play-off game will override a district game. In essense, the coaches, players, and parents all will know what game is more important than the other.

If possible, the school and parents should find a way to get a student from a play-off game to a UIL Academic event and vice-versa. Do what you can for the student.

Facilities

Be sure to communicate with school and athletic leaders on the use of school facilities. If the facility is double booked, then the play-off game will take precedent over a non-district game. Also, maybe the facility can be used at different times. One event at 4pm and the other at 6pm. See what works.

Academics

Students and their parents stress academics and want their student to get that awards they deserve in front of their peers. It is a very important part of a students life to be acknowledged in front of their peers for the academic success.

As a spring coach, do you best to meet with school leaders and make sure they know the sports district schedule and not to schedule an academic award night the same night as a district game. We want to avoid putting the student in this situation. If you are in this situaiton, it may be tought, but honor what the student decides to do.

With good planning you will be able to avoid this situation.

Prom

OK, the special night all high school students look forward to. But, at the same time as the prom, there is also softball and baseball play-off games. Tough one.

Sometimes, you can decide to play a one game series vs a three game. Sometimes you can agree not play on prom, if travel is not an issue. And, sometimes, the students might be late to prom. It is best to make the team aware of the possibilities and plan ahead.

Lastly, if you have a play-off game Saturday afternoon, you might let the students drive home with the parents so they can get to prom faster.

There are options, just plan and make it work.

Spring Football

Alot of the planning for spring football may be out of your control unless you are the head football coach. I have also heard of many baseball teams in which the head baseball coach also coaches football and the baseball players also play football. I have heard of the head football coach making everyone report to football practice from 5-7pm and then baseball could go practice afterword. In my opinion, this is unacceptable! Even as a head football coach, the sport in season should be the most important. End of story!

Conclusion

Spring is always busy. In small town USA, even more so. In the larger schoos there is not a large amount of students doing multiple events.

The key to the entire semester is to plan in August for what will take place in May. Then in December meet up again and make the dates officical. Finally, around March plan some more. After Easter, you are in the homestretch and the final planning of games, award nights, prom, and graduation all take place.

Do what you can to allow the student to experience all they have worked for; but at the same time, communicate early and often to avoid conflict.

You can prepare and have a plan. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t. But at least you had a plan.

Final Plan

Most district games are Tuesday and Friday. Let administrators and teachers know they can plan anything they want on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. When it comes to Saturday, ask the admin to plan for a 6pm start so you can coach your team in the morning and early afternoon.

This “Final Plan” will help keep you coaching the games, the players playing, admin satisfied, and parents out of your office or inbox.

Not my best writing, not my best topic, but with Easter travels, this is what I made time for. Stay with me as more football, baseball, and athletic leadership topics will be out weekly.