Moratorium Week Signals Break

Kent Adams had been waiting on this week to come for some time.
For the first time in about a year, the Twin Lakes athletic director and boy’s basketball coach doesn’t have to do anything related to high school athletics. That’s because Monday marked the beginning of the IHSAA’s mandated week-long no contact and no athletic activity period.
“I’ve been looking at this week for several weeks,” Adams said. “It’s a good time to catch our breath. I’m trying to stay away and not get caught up in anything athletic related.”
Fewer than 10 years ago the IHSAA instituted the seven-day period to give families time away from school activities. Every year around July 4, athletes, administrators, coaches and parents get this break.
“Families have one guilt free week away from school,” said Bobby Cox, assistant commissioner of the IHSAA. “
Finding time away from high school athletics is difficult these days, especially for smaller schools. At schools like all four in White County, many of the athletes compete in multiple sports, which doesn’t allow for any time off. Couple that with summer leagues, AAU and conditioning for future seasons and schedules become tiresome.
“There is a lot of pressure on athletes to get all their sports in,” Frontier athletic director and football coach Greg Martz said. “Throw in conditioning and AAU and there is so much going on. Where does it stop? We need this guiding hand to say there is too much.”
Martz was able to escape for a vacation with the break from all athletic activities. With the football season and the fall sports schedule inching up, Martz won’t have any time to take a break until this time next year.
“Most of our kids are going to start practice on August 3 and then they’re going until next June,” Martz said. “Rest is an important aspect of athletics that is often times left out.”
Cox said there has been some discussion of extending the mandatory week-long break for high schools. Nothing is immediately in the works but Martz thinks it should be longer.
“I think it should be two weeks,” Martz said. “They are weeks you aren’t supposed to be doing anything and people look forward to them. It should be longer but the IHSAA probably doesn’t want to tackle that issue.”
Adams is fine with the week-long break as it is. He just hopes his athletes take advantage of that time.
There is one other week that the IHSAA monitors and that’s the week before fall sports officially begin practice. Starting July 27, only fall sports are allowed to condition.

Published in the Herald Journal in June 2009.