It has been 40 years since I last went through spring football practice, but I still cling to memories surrounding those warm May afternoons in Gulf Breeze.
Back in my day, spring football might have meant more than it does today. Few, if any, high school football programs were in the year-round football business.
We started practice in August, and when the season ended in November or December, the footballs were put away until May. Some football players also played basketball; others ran track or played baseball.
At Gulf Breeze High, we had a class called varsity sports — a glorified physical education class for athletes. During football season and spring practice, the class basically consisted of getting into our practice gear and heading to the field. We did throw the ball around for a few minutes and stretched a bit, but there was nothing too intense.
In those months between football and spring football, we sharpened our skills on the foosball table or with a spirited game of basketball. Every once in a while, someone would suggest we lift weights. But lifting and conditioning weren't mandatory, and the school didn’t have the equipment to support a lifting program for all the team's players.
Undoubtedly, we needed spring football practice. And spring football provided us with a morsel of the game while we waited for practice to start in the fall.
Today’s players at Baker, Crestview and just about every other Florida school work out year-round. Football is never far from players' minds, even if those athletes are involved in other sports.
Each coach has his own regiment. Some coaches are really into weight training during the offseason. Other coaches combine conditioning and weight training in the months between the end of the season and the start of spring ball.
Most summer programs are geared on refining the skills needed in the regular season. The players who are not getting bigger, stronger and faster will be relegated to backup roles in the fall.
I believe there is still a place for spring football, but that place is changing. Spring practice's teaching moments that were once so important have been replaced by a year-round program.
My concern is a year-round focus on football doesn’t leave time for teenage kids to be kids.
I just have to think things might have been a little better when football was reserved for the fall and spring.
Email News Bulletin Sports Editor Randy Dickson, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: DICKSON: Spring football has changed