Don't leave your team in the dark this fall

Fall is here. The leaves are beginning to turn colors, we awake to morning dew on the lawns, and some even feel the heat kick on inside their homes. We also notice more and more -- even with the extended daylight savings time -- that darkness comes earlier each night.

And while some welcome this change -- like parents who now can more easily keep their children in after dinner to do homework -- youth sports coaches find the disappearing sun also means less practice time.

Most youth sports teams don't practice on fields with lights. And lining up cars with headlights turned on is neither safe nor efficient.

With parents' work schedules and kids' after-school activities, it's nearly impossible to get your team together any earlier. So what do you do?

My first suggestion would be to try to schedule an extra practice during the week. Even if you can't use your usual practice space, look for another one. Parks, churches and maybe even high school non-athletic fields are all suggestions. And even if the area you find is not ideal (with lines and goals, etc.), use the space to get the team together and work on skills you can do in your new, less-than-ideal practice spot.

If a second practice during the week is out of the question, how about the weekend? Not ideal, I know, but maybe better than nothing. You could make the practice optional so that parents who already have weekend plans don't have to cancel them.

Lastly, if it's impossible to get a second practice in, it becomes even more important to use your practice time efficiently. Before, you might have let the kids just "goof around" for the first 10 minutes or so -- and there's nothing wrong with that when you have plenty of time. But if you are only going to have daylight for 45 minutes, it's vital that you start immediately and accomplish your practice goals before dark.

Reiterate to your parents the importance of arriving early if possible, or at the very least, on time. And don't wait for the entire team to get there. If you say practice is starting at 6, when Joey arrives at 6:05, practice should already be five minutes old. I'm not suggesting you punish Joey for being late -- remember it was probably his dad's fault -- but by doing this you will only reinforce to parents you need them there on time.

Hopefully you've had a great fall season so far. You can keep the momentum going by making sure the shorter days don't affect your team's performance at practice, which ultimately means it won't be affected at game time.