Practices for fall sports begin during August, weeks before the start of classes. The Midway asked athletes about their experiences with the start of the season.
“I feel like a lot of the kids who are going have summer jobs at the beginning of the day, so it’s like soccer is also something people can look forward to. I think it’s a great outlet for socializing, getting better at something you are passionate about, and overall just a really good experience to have over the summer.”
— Spencer Davis, junior
“I compete for the U-High golf team, and for the summer practices generally I had a lot of fun. I started in the morning, had some good time to socialize, and also competed with some of my teammates, who became some of my friends over the summer.”
— Darius Esmailzadeh, junior
“The team has practice every day during the week, which I think is a good amount of time… a lot of days got really hot sometimes, so you’d have to make sure you prepare your body well with like eating and hydrating.”
— Shelby Hackett, senior
“I play tennis and I feel like my summer sports practices were good. I think they were pretty beneficial to preseason team bonding and also for getting your skill up on a competitive level for when you play during the season. It was really helpful for me to be with the coaches again and to see my friends.”
— Zoe Alphonse, junior
“I play tennis, and as a student who was new to Lab this year, I felt it was a good way to begin to know the school before school started and meet people.”
— Olive Bracken Sáenz, ninth grader
“I play volleyball, and I’m on the varsity team. I didn’t like summer practices at first because it feels like the summer is ending a month earlier than everyone else, and I don’t want to be at school yet, but I do like seeing all my friends. I think it’s not a necessity to not travel during the season, but for me, I wouldn’t have been able to be on varsity if I had traveled. It’s like if you’re committed to the team you can’t really travel.”
— Elsa Podszus, junior
“I’m on the varsity soccer team, and summer practice, compared to the normal season and the fall, was pretty helpful. It’s overall very helpful to have summer practices because if you are not part of a club, you can work on your skills with the school team instead of just not doing anything soccer related all summer.”
— Simon Vaang, sophomore
“I play tennis and I actually really liked summer practices because it almost felt like school was starting early, like a tester. The heat was manageable because they kind of took it easy over the summer and they would always tell us to bring lots of hydration.”
— Luce Collins, junior
“I struggle to attend summer practices because I work and live out of state, and it is nearly impossible for me to come back to Chicago every afternoon for sports. Because I am on cross country, I am able to practice by myself with a special training plan the coaches have given me.”
— Isaac Begle, senior
“I feel like summer practice is fine, except for when they move it to the morning when it gets really hot, because that sucks and only half the people show up.”
— Luka Allesina, ninth grader
