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closein the redzone: Summer is no time for rest in high school sports
Shaun Scott
When most people think of school being out for the summer, they may make the assumption that high school athletics come to a close during that time frame as well.
While the majority of students who aren’t competing in athletics find a summer job or relax in the sun, their student athlete counterparts are typically honing their athletic skills in preparation for their fall, winter or spring sports seasons.
Grant Williams, who graduated from Rogers High School this past spring, said he has heard all about the hard work the Rogers Rams boys basketball team is putting in this summer.
“I heard that Rico Ancheta (new coach who has replaced the legendary Rod Iverson) is getting those guys ready. I know they’re working hard in the weight room and with summer ball,” Williams said. “I think they will be okay next year despite losing a lot of seniors. They’re putting the work in they need to get good.”
Training for these varsity sports takes place on a year-round basis these days. During the summer, a slew of East Pierce County athletic programs attend team camps in various locations throughout the state. Just a few of the programs in the area that have already attended camps include the Emerald Ridge Jaguars basketball team (Central Washington University camp) and the Puyallup Vikings football team (University of Puget Sound camp). Even if teams don’t attend team camps at various colleges across the Pacific Northwest, they’re putting on camps of their own for the youth of the community.
The Jaguars and Vikings boys basketball programs and the Rogers Rams wrestling team recently unveiled youth hoops camps open to children of a wide assortment of ages in their respective communities. These kinds of camps benefit the high school athletes coaching the programs just as much as they benefit the aspiring younger athletes who are participating.
“We figure if our wrestlers can teach the technique that they will be able to complete the technique themselves when they’re wrestling in a match,” Rogers Rams wrestling coach David Johnston said in early June. “This helps them execute their moves.”
Emerald Ridge boys basketball coach Ben Muehlenbruch agrees with Johnston’s sentiment.
“They’re teaching these kids what our coaching staff has been teaching them. It’s fun seeing them grow and develop their own game through helping others,” Muehlenbruch said. “For a lot of them it’s the first time they’ve had a chance to coach.”
In reality, summer camps are a win/win proposition for the entire community and build a bridge connecting younger athletes with their older high school counterparts.
Athletic programs are laying down the foundation for the future while enhancing their current programs at the same time. In my opinion, there’s not a better combination that can compare to that.