As the school year closes, the fall sports teams begin practices in preparation for the upcoming school year. The football, tennis and volleyball teams gather over the summer to train and condition in hopes of an improved record for next season.

?The clay tennis courts during the summer are so hot and humid,? Megan Ortiz, ’09, said. ?It feels like the sun is beating down on you; plus we are running around the whole time.?

To avoid the heat, the players plan to practice either in the morning or evening.

?Football practices are really hot,? Joe Hergenroeder, ’09 said. ?We have three hour practices in the mornings one week and three hour practices in the night other weeks. When we practice during the day the temperature gets over 100 degrees. The coaches give us one water break every 40 minutes and over half the team is throwing up because of the non-stop heat and work.?

Despite the summer weather, proper training and hydration may prevent injuries and overheating.

?I have my team run and lift weights before we practice,? JV coach Michael Fuller said. ?It is important to get the blood flowing before we start the hard practice.?

Fuller believes preparing muscles for exercise helps to warm up the body before practice. He recommends stretching, skipping and jogging for approximately five minutes.

?Before we start tennis, we do Mr. (George) Freeman?s warm up exercises,? Ortiz said. ?It usually consists of running around the school and jumping rope.?

The girls’ volleyball team practices inside the gym during the summer.

?Practicing inside does not really mean that it is cooler because we do not always have the air conditioner on,? Quinn Livingston, ’10, said. ?When the air (conditioner) is not on, it is even hotter in the gym than outside because we do not have any fresh air.?

The varsity girls’ volleyball team will be involved in the Girls? Volleyball Summer League at Clovis West during the month of July.

?I am really excited about the volleyball league at Clovis West,? Livingston said. ?I have done things like this before, and it is really fun to practice with other teams.?

Summer practices aim to improve teamwork as well as enhance basic skills.

?Summer practice is cool because when the season starts we already know everyone?s strengths and weaknesses,? Livingston said. ?Once we know that, we can make up for each other’s problems.?