Summer Student-Athletes Guide

As an Ed.D. student at the University of Pennsylvania, I was fortunate enough to have Bob Zemsky as a faculty member, one of higher education’s gurus who had served on the Spellings Commission for Higher Education under the W. Bush administration.

One of the questions he posed at the beginning of each class was, “what’s on your mind?”

So…what has been on my mind is how to maintain the balancing act with your kids in the summer of keeping them engaged academically, while practicing their craft athletically, while also giving them some down time so they can be, well, just kids.

Fortunately, my kid’s school has a summer reading and writing project so this keeps their minds actively engaged. Should this not exist at your kid’s school, I recommend developing a summer reading list with your kid. I would keep it light and in partnership. Let them be involved in the choosing process. In the end, it does not have to be a classic, it is just reading and something meaningful or fun for them. Develop a daily reading time schedule, the number of minutes a day, and hold them to it. At the end of the book, perhaps have a discussion about what the book(s) meant to them as a critical thinking exercise. I am also a proponent of keeping their mind fresh with math. There are plenty of summer math books available. That said, if you have your kid do five problems a day, that are relevant to the upcoming academic year, you are working to keep their brains active. Again, engaging your kid in conversation about challenges or level of difficulty is important. Challenge but not overwhelm.

For student-athletes, many times, summer is either off-season for fall and spring sports, so this is a great opportunity to spend time dedicated to improving their craft via strength, speed, endurance, or agility work. It is also a time where student-athletes can improve their craft by attending sport specific summer camps – either on a college campus, via a travel organization, or at a sport specific camp. This is a time where student-athletes can realize real improvements to their craft by out working other student-athletes. From my perspective, summer is really a “game-on” vs. a game-off time. This is also a time where a student-athlete can dedicate themselves and receive some individual or group lesson coaching. Many times, college athletes may be home in the summer and willing to pay it back by helping younger student-athletes who show dedication.

The last point that is easy to lose sight of, but is perhaps the most important, is that these are kids. They deserve and need some down time. First, their bodies are developing and changing and, as I was reminded this summer with my son who grew four inches in a year, he needs some time to rest. They also need time to be kids and just chill and have time to play with friends. There is also a piece to this where pushing too hard too early can result in burnout for a sport they presumably are supposed to have fun playing. Yes, there is a competitive piece to this, but playing for love of the game is a must have.

In the end, raising a student-athlete is a balancing act. As parents, it is important to create the infrastructure of love and support while encouraging and nudging, but not pushing, for excellence inside and outside of the classroom. This comes from work in the summer to remain academically engaged while working to improve your craft. This also involves allowing kids to be kids. Tough balance that I continue to work at and have failed at more times than I wish.