Samo sports teams are never out of season

Owen KneelandStaff Writer As the year comes to a close, teams are already preparing for the 2011-2012 season. For the returning players, preparation and dedication start as early as the beginning of this summer. With fall sports teams like Boys' Water Polo, their summers begin with grueling practices that consist of heavy conditioning and "Hell Week."A typical summer for Boys Water Polo consists of weight training and dry land workouts (running the Greek and track) from 6 am to 10 am. There is then a three hour break for the players before they hit the pool for competitive polo training from 2 pm to 4 pm. During their long and work-filled summer, they compete in games every Wednesday in Malibu.“Our whole summer is Hell Week,” said senior Maxi Vilim-Brozyna. “Everyday is a chance for incoming players to earn a spot on the team. But for the returning players it is a good chance to stay in shape and stay focused for the upcoming season.”Another team that starts their season off in the fall is Football. Their summer begins with a tough grind of non-stop conditioning and multiple Hell Weeks. The team will sometimes have two or three practices per day. The team also goes through multiple scrimmages against each other and sometimes other teams like Saint Monica's.For teams that don’t begin season in the fall, summer is quite different.  The Boys' Basketball team plays in a summer league between June and July. They compete in tournaments throughout the Los Angeles area, playing elite teams like Westchester, Taft, and Windward. They can play up to 30 games throughout the entire summer as well as practicing every other day for two to three hours. Their summer season ends at the beginning of August, and because of a CIF ruling, coaches are not allowed to interact with players until the school year begins.“I always enjoy playing summer league ball," said senior Holden Foshag. “It helps us develop our game against teams we wouldn’t usually play in the regular season. It also is a good bonding experience for us as a team to be able to spend the whole summer with each other.”