very strange question about high school sports (Dallas, Austin: 2013, transfer)

[lofarber]

Hi everyone!
My husband, daughter and I are seriously considering a move to Austin from Western New York. My daughter would be running cross country and track at the high school level. My question is do the kids practice after school? My impression is that it is still brutally hot in September and starts up again in May. Are the kids just all used to the heat and run anyway? Thanks for all the help for my very silly question.

[cBach]

The short answer: yes

What's even worse are football practices which begin in August in full gear, even though it's a "fall" sport.

Think of it this way, it is still very cold in Feb/March up north and that's when baseball season starts, a "spring" sport. Do they still practice early in the season even though it is so cold?

[tickledpink]

9 years ago when I was in highschool a lot of the sport teams would practice in the early morning before school for this very reason. I'm sure they practiced after school as well, but not as long/much. Not sure how it's managed today.

[lfarber]

Thanks. That's what I figured, but thought maybe they ran early AM practices instead. Being from the east coast it's hard to imagine doing anything in that heat, but especially sports. LOL. You are right about the football players though! whoa!

[lfarber]

Originally Posted by tickledpink

9 years ago when I was in highschool a lot of the sport teams would practice in the early morning before school for this very reason. I'm sure they practiced after school as well, but not as long/much. Not sure how it's managed today.

Thanks. My daughter will be attending Austin High School. Anyone know about their cross county team? I'm not really sure how popular it is in TX compared to other states. Where we live it's huge- national champs.

[Trainwreck20]

Cross country almost always has a morning practice these days and I think a (less strenuous) afternoon practice. I suppose it depends on the school, but I think that is the typical setup. OTOH, CC starts in the fall and I don't believe there is any practice prior to the start of school (maybe that has changed?) In any case, the brutally hot period is only about a month (often with a minor cool front mixed in). When I ran CC, the cold days later in the season bothered me more than the hot ones....

Thanks. My daughter will be attending Austin High School. Anyone know about their cross county team? I'm not really sure how popular it is in TX compared to other states. Where we live it's huge- national champs.

It can be huge, depends on the school. When I think of local CC, Westlake has had a huge program in the past, not sure on Austin HS. When I was in HS, the Quigley girls from Westlake were running sub 11:00 two mile races. Time have come down a bit since then, but that was blazing fast at the time....

[mark311]

Originally Posted by lfarber

Thanks. My daughter will be attending Austin High School. Anyone know about their cross county team? I'm not really sure how popular it is in TX compared to other states. Where we live it's huge- national champs.

I would contact the coaches directly. I'm sure they would welcome hearing about any new transfer students from out of state and probably start their training program in July if they're a serious program. You can find information about Austin High at the link below. I'm sure each coach and school sets the practice times, but if you are going to have races against other schools in the afternoons, it makes sense to practice at the same time of day. Good luck.

Cross Country | Sports | Austin High School Athletics

[lfarber]

great info, everyone. thank you. I will probably e mail the coach directly. We really would like to stay in the close in, walkable areas so I think Austin H.S. is our only option. We are moving from a small more suburban neighborhood and really don't want to end up in a similar place. We have about a million other things to figure out before out before moving so I'm sure you will see my posts elsewhere!

[hoffdano]

Interscholastic sports in Texas is run by the "UIL" or University Interscholastic League.

Results from the 2013 state meet: Cross Country State Meet Qualifiers & Results — Cross Country State Meet — University Interscholastic League (UIL)

Coaches at any well established school in Texas train their kids considering the heat. They know they have to train their kids differently than they would in a milder climate. I can't say for sure, but I bet the cross country kids do at least some of their training in the morning. If your daughter will likely adapt quickly to the temperatures.

I think the State Board of Education limits training outside the school day to 8 hours per week.

[salmuabe]

This is not at all a silly question. In fact, it's a very practical one! I have nothing to add to the advice you've been given, but did think of this from last summer and thought I'd share: High School Football Players Practice At Night « CBS Dallas / Fort Worth