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It can be a grueling offseason cycle for an athlete, especially those truly dedicated to improving. But an afternoon jog or a trip to the weight room is just about all the high school athlete in South Carolina has been allowed to do with his or her teammates on school campuses.
Until this year.
Approved by the S.C. High School League's executive committee, winter and spring sports teams will now be allotted three weeks of full team practice -- similar to annual spring football practices -- during their offseason. Winter sports teams will begin their three weeks Wednesday, and spring sports will be allowed to practice Nov. 1-21.
Although they cannot make the practices mandatory, Beaufort County high school coaches are ready to take advantage. John Hollman, Bluffton High School wrestling coach, said he plans to arrange practice dates for all 21 days.
"I'm going to utilize every single hour that has been offered to us," Hollman said. "We're going to get on the mat and simply wrestle. And that's it. The way I look at it, you'll have plenty of time to rest when the 21 days are over."
Under past League rules, offseason practices including more than three members of a winter or spring sports team have been forbidden. Last year, the SCHSL upped the allowed number to 75 percent of a team's starting lineup.
But many schools asked for more, SCHSL executive director Jerome Singleton said. Some even petitioned the League to make another change, and the executive committee voted in favor of the new rule last month, Singleton said, giving all sports the equal chance to prepare for their respective seasons. Outside of the added three weeks, teams will have to return to sessions with a maximum of two team members until preseason work begins.
Area basketball coaches have said they plan to make the full team practices similar to early preseason work, meaning a large focus will be on the fundamentals.
"I think if kids show up most of these days, we'll be significantly ahead (once the season starts) because they will have had a basketball in their hands for an extra 15 to 20 days," said Dave Greenberg, Hilton Head High girls coach. "Whatever we get out of them is extra compared to what we got last year because just having two or three girls at a time, that's not even enough to play."
Of course, the turnout for all teams will be affected by the number of athletes currently competing in a fall sport, such as boys basketball players who also play football or girls basketball players in the beginning stages of the volleyball season.
Fall sports will affect the three weeks of practice in other ways, as well. Beaufort High School does not have enough space to accommodate varsity and JV volleyball and then add girls and boys basketball and wrestling to the daily practice schedule.
Eagles boys basketball coach Bruce Beasley said his basketball team will rotate with the girls squad on an every-other-day schedule at nearby St. Helena Elementary School.
"I still would say I prefer these three weeks, but it has it's pros and cons," Beasley said. "We obviously don't have the facilities for all of us, and we have quit a few football players.
"But the way we look at it, it's extra time to focus on individual fundamentals and techniques. We'll work on ball-handling, passing, rebound, defense and all facets of the game, and we wouldn't have a chance to focus on that without this time."
