Practices, Competitions Over Breaks Vary by Sport

by DEVON SCHAEFER

Menlo in-season sports teams decide on whether they have practices over school vacations depending on whether the coaches prioritize improving the teams skills or leaving more time for families to be together. The varsity boys basketball team takes the holiday break to get better with mandatory practices and a team trip. “If we didn’t practice over break, we would not at all be competitive,” head coach Ben Batory said. “Consider our peer group, Sacred Heart Prep, is practicing and if we want to not get our butts kicked, we need to be practicing also.”

Batory grew up in New York and went to Canisius High School. Over the holiday break, his practice schedule was rigorous. He practiced twice a day in a building with no heat, despite the harsh climate. “I wanted to be a college athlete, and I knew that’s what it took to be good,” Batory said. “I appreciated the opportunity over break to honestly just focus on my sport and not have schoolwork as the overhang,” Batory said. The brutal training brought his team together.

While Batory was motivated by having practices over break growing up, he believes traveling with the team offers a more balanced and fun break. He tries to find locations that allow for a feeling of being on break, cultural life experiences and getting better at basketball, all at the same time. This year, the team traveled to New York City for a four game series against schools in the city.

Sophomore Tate Cohen emphasized that because he enjoys basketball, practicing and having games over break is fun. Additionally, he is able to put more effort into basketball over break due to the lack of classes. “You can be active more during practices during break, which I like,” Cohen said. While he enjoyed the practices, Cohen also enjoyed the trip for the balance of team bonding, competitive play, and exploring New York City.

Girls soccer coach Ross Ireland takes a different approach to breaks. He offers optional practices that are sparsely attended. Ireland believes that the break is a great time for families to get out of town and relax, which is the main reason his practices are not mandatory. If a player is at home, Ireland believes she should be at practice. However, he suspects that many students who are in town do not attend practice. “I think some take that little break to completely decompress from school-associated activities,” Ireland said. “I wish they didn’t.”