POULSBO — While summer isn’t literally coming to an end according to the calendar, the first days of fall sport practices at North Kitsap High School and Kingston High School quintessentially signals the coming of fall to a plethora of coaches, players and parents.
Practices for North Kitsap and Kingston football players kicked off today while the remainder of fall sports at both schools begin practices Aug. 20.
KHS athletic coordinator and head football coach Dan Novick said he is anxious for the first fall sports season in the history of KHS to begin.
“I am excited and nervous about it at the same time. I am pretty excited about these first days of practices,” he said. “We have done the most diligent job we can do to hire the best people possible for our athletic programs.”
Novick said it’s important that all athletic programs get off to a good start.
“We are very aware the first minutes, hours and days are going to set the tone for the rest of the school year,” he said. “It’s pretty exciting.”
NKHS volleyball coach Tim French is amped about the first day of practice scheduled for 9 a.m. in the NKHS gymnasium on Aug. 20.
“It’s always an exciting time of year,” French said of the opening of practices. “There’s always new possibilities and it’s a new season.
French said he expects 35 athletes to turnout for volleyball.
“All coaches hope our athletes come back from summer mentally and physically prepared as they can be for the season,” he said.
NKHS assistant football coach Virg Taylor eagerly anticipates the opening of football season each and every year. Taylor has coached at NKHS since 1965.
“I look forward to the first practices all the time. In all of the years I’ve coached I have never missed a first practice,” he said. “I used to go fishing up in Alaska and return the day before the first day of football practice. Summer is over on the first day of football.”
Taylor said he has a true passion for molding the youth of North Kitsap.
“I always look forward to the changes taking place as well as the things that stay the same,” he said. “Coaching keeps me young.”
