Spirit days, pep rallies, and the Friday night football game all mark the countdown to one of the most anticipated school events of the year: Homecoming. However, many student athletes must plan their pre-Homecoming activities around tournament schedules, Meg Hoxha,   Girls’ Varsity Tennis Head Coach, said.

Seven fall sports have a tournament at the same time as either the homecoming football game or the homecoming dance: Boys’ Golf, Soccer, and Football, and Girls’ Volleyball, Swim, Golf, and Tennis, according to South’s website, glenbrook225.org. Conference and state tournament times are finalized by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) five years in advance, meaning that tournament dates are set well before the dates for homecoming, Hoxha said.

“The school activity [dates] change every year, but [every] third week of the [tennis] season, [the varsity team is at] the New Trier Tournament,” Hoxha said. “That never changes.”

This year, the Central Suburban League (CSL) tournament for Girls’ Varsity and Junior Varsity (JV) Tennis is scheduled for the morning of the homecoming dance, and nearly the entire tennis program will be occupied through Saturday afternoon, Hoxha said. When she was in high school, Hoxha was also an athlete, and she can relate to the struggle of planning homecoming around tournaments.

“I was late to every single one of my homecomings when I was in high school,” Hoxha said. “It’s just the [reality] of playing a fall sport.”

Some sports, such as Boys’ Soccer, also have games during the homecoming football game, causing them to be late, or miss the game altogether, junior Leo Papajohn, JV Boys’ Soccer player, said. Papajohn was meant to be a ballboy for a match on homecoming day his freshman year until a teammate took his place for him. However, he has not always been so lucky.

“Last year, we had a game on [the] Friday before homecoming and we got back [after the game started],” Papajohn said. “[Once we got back,] I was really tired and didn’t want to go to the [football] game.”

Girls’ Volleyball also has their tournament dates set before the homecoming date is decided, Kelly Dorn, Girls’ Varsity Volleyball Head Coach, said. Dorn finalizes the schedules for each level by January. This means the team is committed to attending different tournaments months before the homecoming date is announced. Every Oct. 11 the Girls’ Varsity Volleyball team goes to the same invitational at Huntley High School, Dorn said.

“My preference would be [not to] play on homecoming,” Dorn said. “I wouldn’t want anyone to, [but] it just so happens that this year [homecoming] is in the middle of October, and that’s the middle of our season.”

Playing in a tournament on the day of homecoming can be challenging, and students often miss plans, Hoxha said. Many girls on her team have hair and nail appointments before the dance, which they have been late to, and Hoxha can relate to the girls’ struggles.

“I know that during the season [students] have to balance a lot [and] Homecoming is important to [all of the athletes],” Hoxha said. “[It’s] a life skill. You have your responsibilities and you have your privileges, and you have to balance the two.”