Turning up the HEAT: You train, because your opponents are

Bay track and field coach Aaron Byas said that to excel, there is no question that athletes in his sport have to train year-round.

“Some of the best training is during in the summertime when the pressure is not on to compete,” he said. “Kids at that age are always growing. They can grow stronger, or they can grow weaker.”

Byas had 17 athletes of all ages sign up for the AAU program he runs each summer, with training done at Tommy Oliver Stadium. Kids pay a $50 club membership for the chance to compete in four meets. Three of them are AAU-related; district, state and national levels depending on qualifying. The other is the Sunshine State Games.

“To be competitive you have to train year-round, because your opponents are training year-round,” Byas said. “I actually enjoy coaching during the summer. I open it up. In fact I have more kids from other schools than my school.”

Byas said that 13 of the current members are high school athletes. He recognizes their need to train for other sports during the summer and schedules his practices for 3-5 p.m. Practice is four days a week, sometimes two if a meet is upcoming.

“A lot of them are football players, some girls play basketball,” Byas said. “It’s up to them to work their schedule to my time. It’s up to them to be there.

“Next month we’ll reduce it to two days a week, unless someone comes to me and says ‘Will you train me.’”

This weekend the AAU state meet is being held at Florida State. The top four finishers, by age group, in each event qualify for the nationals in Norfolk, Va., in early August.

“I try to keep the cost down real low,” said Byas, who isn’t compensated for his time. “The meet entry fee usually is $15 or $20. Generally the parents help with travel, most of the meets in Pensacola, Tallahassee or Gainesville.”

 In past summers, Byas trained his son, Jordon, who eventually became a state champion and now plays football at Duke. This summer, some of the participants are his grand-children.

“When my son ran track I had a dog in the hunt,” Byas said. “Now my grand-kids run. It’s a personal thing for me. I don’t keep them all summer.”

See better pitching

Unlike summer baseball, which basically is school-related, softball mostly relies on summer travel teams to keep its players active.

For Mosley, that mean the Lady Lightning program, with most if not all of the Dolphins playing for one of two 16U squads that compete in many tournaments.

“They’re in about three travel teams actually,” Mosley coach Brian Wilke said. “In the past we’ve played some (summer) games, but the level of competition is not as good as the travel teams see in tournaments.

“There will still be some weak teams, but you’re going to see better pitching and have to perform.”

Wilke attempts to add to that experience with seven summer workouts for his players. That usually breaks down to hitting and fielding fundamentals, with about hour for weightlifting and agility training.

“I take a blank slate come January, but my observation over the years is the ones who play in the summer are a lot more ahead than the others,” Wilke said. “Sometimes there are very talented players who might be playing two or three different sports who can compete.”

Once school starts, Wilke said facilities are opened up for conditioning, and some players can hit in the cage. He said that also offers a vehicle for attracting players to the program, which is becoming more difficult, he said, for girls athletics.

Through a Dizzy Dean affiliation, schools are allowed to play fall softball, as long as school funds and booster funds are not used to supplement it.

“We start in October and go for about a month, once or twice a week,” Wilke said. “Last year it was just two teams, us and Arnold. It gives some of the younger kids playing time.”