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Hence the term 'midnight madness'

Florida high school athletes can begin practicing Aug. 1. So many of Seminole High's do, as soon as humanly possible.

By BOB PUTNAM
Published August 3, 2005

SEMINOLE - Every time Phillip Pike tried to explain that Seminole High School's first football practice would officially begin one second past midnight, his mother snorted at him.

"But why midnight?" Barbara Pike wanted to know.

"The school wants to get a jump on the rest of the state," he told her. "They're calling it "midnight madness.' "

With that, his mother snorted and squinted again.

"Must be some kind of madness, all right," she said.

In an effort to gain exposure for its athletic programs, Seminole staged late-night preseason practices for its football, volleyball and swim teams.

The Florida High School Athletic Association prohibits teams from holding official practices until Aug. 1. So Seminole got its fall sports under way at the earliest possible moment Monday morning - 12:01 a.m. - making it among the first schools in the county and the state to start practices.

Bleary-eyed students went through drills as soon as the lights went on at the football field, swimming pool and gymnasium. It also meant parents had to be insomniacs for one night while they waited for their children.

Barbara Pike passed the time watching a DVD in her minivan with her daughter, Katie, 11, and nephew, J.T. Ramsey, 11.

"We tried to make this fun for everybody," Barbara Pike said. "This is no problem for the kids. They're up late anyway. I'm the one having trouble staying awake."

Seminole swim coach Tom Haight began the ritual of practicing in the wee hours in 1985. He still remembers a patrol car flashing its spotlight on him when he tried to open the pool that first night.

"The officer thought I was a burglar or something," Haight said. "He couldn't understand why I would have kids in the pool at that hour. But we had a motto that year. First in the pool, first in state. Lo and behold, we have practice at midnight and we go on to win our first state team title."

Word spread, and each year the event grew and more fans showed up. Soon after, football joined the festivities.

But the tradition stopped in 2002 when the FHSAA moved the first day of practice back a week and county schools moved their first day of classes up two weeks. That meant students went to class first and practice second.

"I didn't want to see it end, but we couldn't have practices at midnight on a school night," Haight said.

After a three-year hiatus, the late-night ritual returned, thanks to the FHSAA's allowing the first practice to be held Aug. 1 and the first day of school beginning Aug. 3.

This time, the school wanted all fall sports to participate. Football, swimming and volleyball decided to practice. Cross country was unable to because practice does not officially begin for that sport until Aug. 8.

As for golf?

"I think that would have been impossible at night," Haight said.

After practice, the teams met in the cafeteria for breakfast.

"I think after the initial shock wore off, the kids were excited about having practice at that time," football coach Sam Roper said. "It's at night, it's cooler and most of these kids are up at that hour anyway."

The athletes hope that burning the midnight oil becomes a lasting tradition.

"Not many other teams can say they started practice like this," Phillip Pike said.

[Last modified August 3, 2005, 00:36:17]