News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The TSSAA’s Dead Period wrapping up Monday, the two weeks annually where all high school sports programs are prohibited from any practices or communication with the team.
Monterey High School athletic director Ben Novak sees this as a crucial time for both athletes and coaches to take a step back and relax.
“Our athletes are children first,” Novak said. “And that developmental period and that time with their family and time to do things they love is extremely important. Not just in a physical break aspect but also a mental as well. And that also goes for our coaches. You know, our coaches are extremely dedicated individuals.”
TSSAA Hall of Famer Lamar Rogers has spent nearly 50 years serving as girls basketball coach and athletic director at Clarkrange High School. He sees the dead period as a time of relaxation away from the pressures and stress of sports.
“You know someone got smart and had the dead period so their can be family time,” Rogers said. “You know, last week of June, first week of July. It gives the players a break from the coaches and the coaches a break from the players. And I think it’s been really good.”
This dead period means absolutely no contact with players and with TSSAA always watching, Novak said it’s his job to let his coaches know the protocol.
“Yeah I think it’s all about communication,” Novak said. “I think being an effective athletic director comes down to communication. I talk with my coaches ahead of time and just inform them of the dead period dates and the expectations not just set forth by TSSAA but set forth by our school.”
Novak said these two weeks can be challenging on the coaches who have been tirelessly working all summer to improve their teams.
“From a coaching perspective myself, I can say that gung-ho mentality you have, kind of, going through those summer periods and then all of a sudden it’s a hard stop,” Novak said. “You know sometimes again as a coach it’s hard to switch that off sometimes.”
Rogers said the return from the dead period can see athletes do too much too soon and leads to an influx of preventable injuries. Rogers said that a slower reclamation to the sport protects kids.
