Around here, we’re entering what coaches, athletes, and sports parents know as “Dead Week.”
For those unfamiliar, Dead Week is a two-week period during the summer when school-sponsored athletic facilities are closed and there can be no contact, organized workouts, or practices between coaches and student-athletes.
No workouts. No practices. No team meetings. No “optional but not really optional” activities.
Nothing.
For a brief period of time, the schedule simply stops.
And honestly? I think it’s one of the smartest things we do.
Now, before some overly competitive athlete (you know I’m one of you) starts breaking out in hives, hear me out.
Dead Week isn’t about getting behind.
It’s not about losing progress.
It’s not about taking your foot off the gas.
It’s about recognizing something we don’t talk about nearly enough:
Rest is part of the plan.
Read that again.
Rest is part of the plan.
—I’ll wait.—
In fact, it’s a necessary part of the plan.
Because even the most talented athletes eventually hit a wall if they never stop. Bodies need recovery. Minds need recovery.
And sometimes kids simply need an opportunity to be kids.
To sleep in.
To go on vacation.
To spend a day doing absolutely nothing productive.
To remember who they are outside of a uniform.
As I thought about Dead Week this year, though, I found myself asking a different question:
What if adults had one?
Seriously.
What if, for just one week, the emails stopped? The meetings disappeared. The volunteer commitments paused. The endless to-do lists took a back seat.
What if somebody looked at all of us and said: “You’ve been working hard. Take a breath.”
Because if I’m being honest, I don’t know many adults who are very good at resting.
This may shock you…But I know I’m not.
Even on vacation, I found myself waking up early to handle responsibilities before everyone else got moving. Not because anyone asked me to. But because it’s so ingrained in my brain—that’s what many of us do.
We keep pushing.
Keep scheduling.
Keep producing.
Keep saying yes.
And somewhere along the way, exhaustion starts feeling normal.
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We wear busy like a badge of honor.
We convince ourselves that slowing down means we’re falling behind.
Meanwhile, we’re teaching our kids that rest matters while refusing to give ourselves permission to do the same. That seems a little backwards, doesn’t it?
One of the things I love most about Dead Week is that it removes the choice.
Nobody has to wonder if they’re missing out. Nobody has to worry that someone else is getting ahead.
The expectation is simple:
Rest.
Recover.
Reset.
Then come back ready for what’s next.
Imagine how much healthier we’d be if more adults operated that way. Not because we’re lazy. Not because we lack ambition.
But because human beings were never designed to sprint forever.
The truth is, the goal isn’t to see how long you can run without stopping. The goal is to still have something left when the moments that matter most arrive.
So this week, while athletes across Arkansas are getting a well-earned break, maybe the rest of us should pay attention.Maybe we don’t need an official Dead Week. But maybe we do need a reminder.
Put the phone down.
Skip a meeting if you can.
Sit on the porch.
Take the vacation.
Read the book.
Watch the sunset.
Take a breath.
Because rest isn’t something you earn after you’ve completely exhausted yourself.
It’s part of staying healthy enough to keep showing up.
And that’s how the ball really bounces.
Read more from How the Ball Bounces with Bekka in the archives at www.mysaline.com/bounces.
About the author: Bekka Wilkerson is a lifelong lover of all things sports. Raised in a super athletic household it was no surprise when she too began to love sports at a young age. It seems like from the time she could walk she had a softball bat in her hands, but her true athletic passion came from all things Basketball. That love served her well as a Bryant High School Lady Hornet and ultimately earned her a full scholarship to play at the University of Central Arkansas – among many other adventures.
These days Bekka can be found running around Saline County with her husband, Speedy, or chasing one of her grandsons. She is also the Executive Director of The EMpact One Foundation, a Saline County Nonprofit Organization that helps young people stay connected to extracurricular activities through tuition assistance and equipment provisions.
Reach out to Bekka with questions and/or ideas about things you want to see in this column at [email protected] and learn more about The EMpact One Foundation at www.empactone.org.
