The snow is melting, the temperature is rising, and summer is here, along with all of the sports that come with it here at Fair Grove High School. The sports competitions may begin in the fall, but the training starts the summer before to condition and train the students to be physically and mentally ready.  The fall sports that Fair Grove offers are Football, Soccer, Volleyball, and Cross Country. Each requires its own dedication and its own specific kind of practice.

Football is the most popular sport to watch, because of this many eyes will be on you.  In Football, you have to be ready to take a hit. Football trains very hard during the summer by going to special camps hosted by professionals, going through drills to improve their reflexes, and working out in the weight room to build muscle.  This is a tough sport to compete in and athletes will be held to a higher standard by Head Football Coach, Bill Voorhis.

Soccer is for those who are agile and can do the fancy footwork the sport requires.  You have to be quick on your feet and always observant of your surroundings. Boys Soccer Head Coach, Joseph Florez, will be training the boys over the summer for the regular season.  Florez stated, “Boys soccer has about six scrimmages and a handful of practices, as well as a team camp that we host, and that’s how we will be spending our summer.” Florez added, “We will be able to take game tape of our summer events, and analyze it prior to the season starting, which will hopefully continue to help us make adjustments and prepare for the fall soccer season.”

Basketball may be a winter sport, but they train during the summer as well.  They train year-round to become the best at what they do. The new Head Boys Basketball Coach is Cale Ramsey.  Ramsey says, “My athletes will go through workouts throughout the summer that are individualized to the position that they play. One example would be that the guards will work on being able to have a quick release when they shoot the basketball.” He added, “Being a new coach at Fair Grove, my mindset is not to compare this upcoming season to the last. My goal is to keep the success that the basketball program has had over the last several years all while trying to make each individual player better within the system that we run.” Ramsey is prepared to come into this season and win.

The only indoor sport that trains in the summer is Volleyball.  Volleyball is for the girls who can stand the blistered hands and the worn out bodies.  Coach Peck leads these girls over the summer in training by going over drills like hitting the ball, passing, and agility workouts.  Coach Pecks intends to make this the best season Fair Grove has ever seen.

Cross Country may be a less interesting sport to watch, but it’s for only some of the strongest of athletes.  You must not only be physically strong and have great stamina, but also be mentally tough to be able to keep pushing yourself.  The team will be practicing three to four times a week and will be having a week long camp over the summer along with normal, everyday practice the weeks before the start of school. Cross Country Coach, Brendan Carroll, commented, “I’m hoping to up the intensity in practice next year.  I want all of my runners to improve as athletes and as people.” Carroll hopes to have some athletes this year that will qualify for the state meet. All of the athletes training this summer will be working hard to achieve big goals this year.