Sep 16, 2009
Heat, High Temperatures, Hot - Generic 2
Ah, summer. What a blast. It means daily trips to the neighborhood pool or vacations to the beach. Without school every day, you can finally sleep in, or maybe make a boatload of cash by spending all of those extra hours at your job. The summer is a time to make your own schedule. You are not held down by the daily grind of class, practice, homework and an early curfew. The freedom of summer is what makes it so special. It seems to fly by, doesn’t it?
Summer is the season more than any other that people look forward to. What other season’s anticipation is so frequently vocalized? Folks young and old alike are often saying, “I just cannot WAIT for the summertime,” or “Aw, man. There are only two weeks of summer left.” You probably don’t remember the last time someone explained to you, “Winter is just the best!”
It’s true. The summer is great and that’s hard to debate. But, somewhere hidden underneath all that free time and a two-month tan, you are actually happy that school is back in session. Maybe you enjoy waking up at six o’clock and taking weekly math quizzes. Okay, maybe not. But something has been missing, and you know it.
Summer lacks the action that fall, winter and spring sports provide. Once we arrive at the dog days of summer, there’s only so much big league baseball one can ingest. But then August and September bring us football and soccer, then comes volleyball and basketball, and so much more to follow. The next thing you know there’s so much going on it makes your head spin. It is getting to be that busy time of year again, and it can’t come fast enough. Despite all of its great qualities, summer is kind of lackluster sometimes too. The return of school brings relief from the doldrums of late summer.
Ah, the end of summer. What a blast. It means seeing your friends every day again, and reacquainting yourself with cool weather. When school is back we’re treated to weekends full of football. We get to wear blue jeans and long sleeves again, and drink hot chocolate. The fall is a time when our schedules are slam-packed. It’s nice to have a calendar full of work and activities.
For those of us who are bleacher creatures, the summer is a time devoid of amateur sports to quench our thirst for live action. As fans, we get a bit weary without all of the events we’re accustomed to in the school year. By the time August rolls around we ache for competition. The remedy arrives just in time as we’re served up Friday football, and weeknights packed full of volleyball, soccer, tennis and cross-country. The sports fan truly thrives this time of year.
The end of summer is a bittersweet arrival for the student athlete. You may sadly bid farewell to the fun-in-the-sun attitude of vacation season, while at the same time celebrating your chance to get back on the field, court or track. I remember showing up for the first early August morning of tryouts. While getting out of bed before the sunrise was painful; the camaraderie, competition and fun on the field quickly outweighed the misery of an early morning alarm.
By now, fall sports participants are back in the swing of their daily routine. You are delicately balancing practice, games, weight training, homework, class, clubs and everything else that fills up your calendar. Perhaps you are beginning to wonder how you kept busy during the summer. Maybe you are re-learning how much joy you get from the long hours dedicated to your sports.
Sure, the relaxing vibe of summer will be welcomed when it comes knocking again in May. But, right now in September it’s far from your mind. You may not want to admit it, but go ahead, you can. It’s okay, say it out loud. We can say it together if it helps...“I have been bored.”
This column originally appeared in the September 2009 issue of VYPE High School Sports Magazine. Adam Harris' monthly column in VYPE is called "Bleacher Banter."
This blog post is closed for comments.
