This is one outlet's own report from Yahoo Sports — the article as it was filed.
AIPROPX ReportYahoo Sports · 1h ago
Summer days for athletes thinning, so make the most of what's left
Is there a season that goes by faster than summer?
Maybe only our annual two weeks of spring here in northern Michigan.
Hopefully you’ve made the most of one of the best places in the state to be during the summer months.
And before you jump on me, I know there’s still a whole month left ahead before schools start back up. I’m not trying to rain on anyone’s parade like stores filling shelves with ‘back to school’ supplies in July.
But, for athletes, there’s essentially just a week remaining. If there's actually been any summer break at all.
High school practices for the 2026 fall season begin on Monday, Aug. 10, with the first games taking place a week later, a full 21 days before the first day of school for most around here.
The season that already feels the shortest – as we soak up our yearly sunshine in three months – feels like it’s getting shorter on the calendar each year for athletes.
The MHSAA spring season championships concluded the weekend of June 20. Seven weeks later, things start right back up again.
That’s concerning, especially as the competition for summer training, travel sports and collegiate camp visits amp up.
Kids go from competing in the spring, right into ‘voluntary’ training for the fall ahead, travel sports or private coaching sessions.
My hope is they’re still finding time to be kids and make memories away from sports.
Coming from a sportswriter, that might be odd to hear, but a lot of my best memories from my childhood and into my high school years were random summer days.
Those times were great for building friendships and bonds for our teams, an often forgotten key piece to success.
I’m all for getting in offseason time in the weight room or some voluntary team activity, but it hasn’t become that. It's become a big business and professionalized.
Offseason travel sports – particularly throughout the summer months – fetch thousands in club fees, then more depending on the tournaments.
Then there's gear. Baseball bats can now go for up to $300 for coach pitch. Yes, coach pitch. For quality, they only go up from there at each level. We won’t even talk about good athletic shoes, cleats and other necessary equipment.
Then there’s travel costs. Welcome to living four hours away from every tournament. Whether it’s hotels or really committing and buying a camper, you’re in for thousands more.
You can include gas in there. That’ll be a couple hundred down and back most weekends.
Next up, food. You’re going to eat out or pack, but either way it's an expense. You’re in for hundreds more.
I could have saved you some time, but between club fees, equipment, tournament fees and total travel expenses, spending north of $5,000 a travel season isn’t out of the question.
There are plenty of financial advisors in Petoskey that would like to have a conversation about that need to get a scholarship to afford college.
And, I know for a lot of people, it’s not about that. It’s about doing whatever it takes to give their kids their best life. But, how did that become being a professional athlete at age 12?
I hear a lot of coaches preach that they want their athletes to be well-rounded and three-sport athletes.
But, that’s beginning to be less and less common as the need to keep up intensifies. The competitiveness within each sport is driving specialization.
If you’re not playing baseball after baseball season, you’re now behind. If you’re not sacrificing your spring and early summer season for AAU basketball, you’re behind by winter.
For much of the summer, especially outside of Michigan, you’ll find football players now traveling around for 7-on-7 tournaments.
Summer vacation has changed drastically in the 21 (holy smokes) years since I’ve left high school.
I just hope sports aren't becoming such a grind for young athletes that they're forgetting they're supposed to be the fun part of each day, not work.
So, this is my reminder to all the kids and parents that’ll soon be entrenched in fall sports to make the most of what’s left in this summer playground we call home.
Start checking off your summer bucket list in the days and weeks before school starts up.
I’d say before practice, but, that really never ended.
Reach Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at [email protected] and follow him on X @DrewKochanny and Instagram @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Summer days for athletes thinning, so make the most of what's left | Kochanny
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.
