With participation in school sports higher than ever, and limited practice space, morning practices have become a common reality for students, especially underclassmen. Although Liberty has many practicing areas, including the wrestling room, main gym, auxiliary gym, dance studio and in some cases even the cafeteria, the abundance of student athletes makes it nearly impossible for everyone to practice after school.
“[Morning practices] are not ideal but it’s a necessity, just based on the number of kids in the different activities. When we’ve got boys basketball, girls basketball, boys and girls wrestling, with limited space, it’s something you have to do, and sometimes the lower levels [ex. Freshman and JV teams get stuck in the morning, but they make the most of it,” shared Josh Hildebrand, the coach of the JV2 girls basketball team.
Morning practices have received mixed responses from students, with some claiming they like getting it out of the way in the morning, and some who are less enthusiastic about the idea.
“I dread morning practices,” said Carter Konrardy, 9. “There is nothing worse than going to bed and thinking about waking up so early in the morning.”
Many students, especially underclassmen without licences or permits, face the challenge of getting to these morning practices.
“[Guardians]” are responsible for getting your student to morning practice, and those morning practices start at 7:15 so you’ll have to leave the house at 7 A.M. Fortunately my husband and I have the ability to get our daughter to her morning practice right now, and I had the ability to get there when I was coaching junior high, but there is a disadvantage for students who rely on school issued transportation.
Because they have a difficult time getting to morning practices, sometimes that can discourage them from going out for a sport,” stated Stacy Strief, girls basketball coach at North Central Middle School. Early morning practices include their fair share of both benefits and drawbacks. Teenagers need eight to ten hours of sleep every night (Better Health), and for students balancing morning practices and the workload of many classes, especially with so many of them being new to the school as underclassmen, this may be easier said than done.
“Sometimes it’s a little bit tricky to get all my homework done, because I have to wake up early in the morning and I want to make sure I’m getting enough sleep,” claimed Sophia Greazel, 9.
Typically, underclassmen end up practicing in the morning more often. Practices can range from starting at around 6 to 7 in the morning, and ending around 7:30 to 8 in the morning, up to five days a week. This, paired with classes, can ultimately lead to an extreme lack of sleep. This can affect their mental wellness, their success in school, cause slower reflexes, lack of energy and a shortened attention span (Better Health), leading to a lack of success in sports as well.
“I don’t think that morning practices are very productive because as teenagers we need our sleep, so being forced to wake up very early not only impacts school, but also feels like it impacts how we play,” stated Konrardy.
