Hello,
In the second installment of our fall sports meetings, we discuss football. This past week Coach Chad Eisenbraun had his opening meeting on Monday, August 1st, and will have started practice be- fore this column’s publication. The following Thursday, our middle school football meeting was held, and we have seen significant participation from the beginning of the year, and I look forward to seeing the younger students be successful on and off the field.
Coach Eisenbraun emphasized to his players that academics at KAHS comes first, even though he will stay focused on football in practice. We don’t allow students to play unless they meet our school’s specific eligibility guidelines. Therefore, the most crucial aspect of the student-athlete experience is the classroom. The crossover between the athletic field or any activity and the classroom is large. The meeting brought this connection to hydration and success in all areas. Throughout practice starting, we may see 100-plus degree temperatures for the first two weeks of the team activities. Heat follows at the start of the school year, where many areas of the high school will need to be monitored as the temperature rises for those in the classroom. Coaches preached that hydration is essential to preparing for the day. Student-athletes must bring their water jugs to practice and get plenty of it. Like our hot classroom environment, a drink of nourishing fluids early and often is expected. All athletes should consider coming to practice fully hydrated by drinking liquids be- fore they ever don their pads.
In all, we look forward to a successful football season for our whole school system, and we are excited about the possibility of seeing our boys in action. We cherish the work of our coaches and their ability to instill and enforce our expectations in the classroom and on the practice field as we start another great year at Kadoka High.
Sincerely,
Mr. Lukens