I am coming off what might be the highlight of my blogging career after last night’s post of my first ever podcast. You can listen to it here http://www.division3tennis.com/van-zees-vault-first-podcast/ I couldn’t have picked a better guest in Coach Fried and I truly am a Wesleyan fan from here on out. I shouldn’t be too surprised as D3 tennis coaches just understand how important they are to their players and are able to articulate their passion well. Shout out to my former coach Jason Hutchison at Wabash. You helped shape my career path and I am happy to call you a great friend to this day.
With all the momentum, I figured I might as well post again and earn all the hype I got from the fellow bloggers for the surprise podcast post. I asked the Headmaster ASouth for a good topic to discuss and he suggested to write something about spring break. With many teams either just completing their spring break or are currently on it, it was a great idea which was shocking coming from him (joking of course). So here are a few spring break suggestions that I have for coaches and players.
Make it happen!
I fully realize that a spring trip is difficult to pull off. It’s expensive! It might be the most stressful week that a coach will have all year. Finally, you are taking away any “break” a student athlete may have in regards to their academic workload. Trust me when I say this, it is worth the investment, both in time and money. Money is usually the difficult part to come up with. I know some programs probably make the athlete’s pay part of the trip. Do your best to avoid this. Find a way to raise money. It can be as easy as holding a tennis clinic for the community. Treat your players to a first class experience by flying to your destination and eating well. If you are short on cash, work with your schools fundraising team to target tennis alums who would be more than willing to give to the cause. Trust me, they will do so because they remember their own experience.
Choose your destination wisely
When it comes to spring break, there are a multitude of options. There is Orlando, California, Hilton Head, Texas, Puerto Rico, and even the east coast has coaxed a few teams to stay in cold weather to come play. Each destination has pros and cons, but think about what might benefit your team the most. If you are looking to play the best competition, look at California. If you want to play a wide range of teams varying in talent, Orlando and Hilton Head are at the top of that list. If you want a different destination, but not wanting to compromise the better competition level, try Texas. And finally, if you want to go to the beach everyday, Puerto Rick is your winner. All of these destinations vary in cost so that should play a role in your decision. You must know your budget and know your team. If you are trying to get into the tournament via Pool C, you better go west. If you are an average team and want to find matches that are at an equal playing field, I suggest Orlando. Hilton Head is also on that list, but it doesn’t guarantee warm weather. South Carolina in March is a toss up. Don’t play the same teams every year and attempt to play teams out of your region that you might not necessarily see at any other time.
Don’t overschedule matches
This is something I am a firm believer of. A lot of times you will see a team play 6 matches in 7 days. I hate this. There is no “break” in Spring Break. Each time I took my team on a spring break trip, we played 3 matches. I would suggest 4 being the max. This allows you 2-3 days to acclimate your players to playing outdoors and to the weather, train together, and have a little fun too. Very few programs have the talent and depth to pull off split squad matches so don’t attempt it if you aren’t one of those teams. There have been a few instances where a split squad team has lost hurting the overall teams ranking. While I am sure getting as many matches in as possible is likely a selling point to the athletic administrators, it can take away from what else the trip can offer. Many matches are lost late in the week because guys are tired. Think about whether or not your team is prepared for two matches in one day. The hot sun is vastly different than indoors play and can zap even the most conditioned athletes. If you do play two in one day, make sure the more important match is played first where you can be at your best.
Schedule something fun
Don’t lose sight of the fact that spring break is meant to be fun. It can be something as simple as going to watch a movie as a team. That’s not going to break the budget. Some of my favorite team memories are from spring break where we all went indoor go karting (sadly I got second), mini golf matches (first of course!), or to an Orlando Magic game, or Dave and Busters. Team dinners are a great bonding experience. That might mean going out to a sit down restaurant a few times during the week or even better, making dinner together as a team. All of these options vary in price and that always needs to be in consideration. In the end, you might get more out of these team experiences than you do out of the tennis match play. By understanding that, you will maximize the student athlete’s experience. I remember everything we did when I was a coach and even more so, everything my team did as a player. One of my best stories comes from my playing days down in San Antonio. While we didn’t have the most successful tennis trip, we got to meet Kobe Bryant (at a Hooters which is hilarious), tour the Alamo, and ultimately having a few nights out on the Riverwalk with stories I won’t repeat.
Make rules and enforce them
This one is a bit more oriented to the coaching mindset, but you do have to realize you are putting 18-22 year old boys in a situation to make poor choices if they want to. There are some obvious rules to follow including an alcohol and drug policy. Those typically aren’t hard to enforce. Don’t be afraid to sit someone for breaking those rules. I know a few instances where it has happened just this year and I commend the coaches for doing so. While I am not a dedicated curfew guy, stress the importance of getting a good night’s rest particularly before a match the next day. The one rule that I had to constantly drive into my players heads was the use of sunscreen. Yes that seems so insignificant, but picture a winter pale Midwest kid spending the first day or two in sunny Florida and getting a bad sunburn which will affect their ability to play. I didn’t allow my team to go to the pool/beach and sunbathe the first few days for this very reason. So figure out what is important to you, set some ground rules, and for the most part, they will be followed.
Overall I cannot stress enough how instrumental a spring break trip can be for teams. The obvious is to highlight the benefits that the tennis will bring to the squad, but beyond that, there is so much more value to a great spring trip. That’s all for now. My weekend will be filled with March Madness so go PURDUE!
Would you consider Orlando the second best destination? This year it got Amherst, Trinity TX, UT Tyler, RPI, Kenyon, etc.
I would say yes for a couple of reasons. The biggest reason would be that if those teams do travel to Orlando, you wouldn’t be playing them on their home courts (like in Cali or Texas). But it kind of depends on the year as schools spring breaks fall on different weeks. Overall, I think Orlando is the second best option, but you might have a year where you go there and not many good teams happen to be down there the same week that you are.