The Drawer · Season calendar
Twelve months. Pick the shape that fits.
There isn't one calendar. There are about five real shapes. Single-season rec. School-sport season. Year-round club. Discipline practice. Hybrid stack. Pick the one that looks like your kid's year.
Phase 2: stack builder. Pick multiple, see them overlaid, find your conflict windows. Coming.
Football — 7v7 · Travel/club · National
7v7 football: spring and summer club circuit (HS players)
Club 7v7 for high school players on the tournament circuit (Pylon, OT7, Battle and regional equivalents). Tryouts in winter, tournaments March through June, national finals in summer, then a hard stop before fall camp.
Jan–Jul, shuts down for fall football
Basketball · Travel/club · National
AAU basketball 12U: year-round travel
AAU 12U travel basketball. Practice runs October through August. Tournament season is March through July. There is no real off-season unless you make one.
Year-round, with peak Mar–Jul
Cheerleading · Travel/club · National
All-star cheer: year-round competition cycle
All-star competitive cheer under USASF rules. Tryouts and team placements in May, skill building through summer, choreography camp in July or August, routine cleaning all fall, competition season November through April ending at The Summit and Worlds in Orlando.
Year-round: tryouts in May, comp season Nov–Apr
Swimming · Travel/club · National
Club swimming: USA Swimming short course and long course year
USA Swimming club calendar. Short course (25-yard pools) runs September through March with championship meets in February and March. Long course (50-meter pools) runs April through July with championships in late July and August. The break is two to four weeks in August, and that's it.
Year-round: short course Sep–Mar, long course Apr–Aug
Volleyball · Travel/club · National
Club volleyball 14s: national qualifier track
USAV Junior Volleyball, 14U. National-bid track. Tryouts in November, season runs January through July, with regional and national qualifiers as the season's anchor.
Nov–Jul, with summer off Aug–Oct
Dance · Travel/club · National
Dance studio year: competition + recital cycle
Competition dance studio with a year-end recital. Class registration in August, choreography sets in fall, competition season runs February through May, recital in June, summer intensives in July.
Aug–Jun, with summer intensives in Jul
Basketball · School · National
HS basketball, winter season: boys
Boys high school basketball in winter. Tryouts in November, regular season December through February, playoffs in February and March. AAU owns April through July.
Nov–Mar, with AAU Apr–Jul
Choir · School · National
HS choir: school-year concert and contest cycle
The high school choir year: fall concert in October, honor choir and all-state auditions in early fall, a December packed with holiday performances, all-state event in winter, then solo and ensemble and large-group festival in spring. December is the peak month and nobody warns you.
Sep–May school year
Crew · School · National
HS crew: spring racing season (with fall head races)
Scholastic and club rowing under USRowing. Spring is the championship season: sprint regattas April and May, regional championships in May, USRowing Youth Nationals in June. Fall is head-race season, winter is indoor erg training. Novices can start in fall with zero experience.
Mar–Jun racing, with head races Sep–Nov and erg season Dec–Feb
Cross country · School · National
HS cross country: fall season
High school cross country under NFHS rules. Official practice opens in August, invitationals run September and October, league and district meets in late October, state in early November. The season is won with summer miles in June and July.
Aug–Nov, with summer base miles Jun–Jul
Football — Tackle · School · PNW
HS football, fall season: Pacific Northwest
Washington and Oregon high school football. Aug practice opens, Week 1 is the Friday after Labor Day, playoffs run November. The off-season is where the next year is built.
Aug–Nov, with off-season strength Dec–Jul
Lacrosse — Girls · School · National
HS girls lacrosse: spring season
High school girls lacrosse under NFHS and USA Lacrosse rules. Tryouts late February or early March depending on state, games March through May, state playoffs in May. Club and tournament lacrosse picks up in June for players who want it.
Mar–May, with club ball Jun–Jul
Lacrosse — Boys · School · National
HS lacrosse, spring season: boys
Boys high school lacrosse in spring. Practice opens late February or early March, regular season is March through May, playoffs in May and June. Club ball owns the summer.
Mar–May/Jun, with club summer Jun–Aug
Band · School · National
HS marching band: camp, competition season, then concert season
The high school band year: mandatory band camp in late July or August, Friday night football games and Saturday competitions September through November, then concert band from December through spring with solo and ensemble contests in late winter. Band is a fall sport that doesn't call itself one.
Jul–Nov marching, concert season Dec–May
Soccer · School · National
HS soccer, fall season: boys
Boys high school soccer in fall. Practice opens mid-August, district games run September through October, playoffs and state through November. The off-season is club ball for most kids.
Aug–Nov, with off-season Dec–Jul
Track and field · School · National
HS track and field: spring season
High school outdoor track under NFHS rules. Practice opens late February or early March, dual meets and invitationals run March through April, league and district championships in May, state in late May. No tryout cuts at most schools: track keeps everyone.
Mar–May, with state meets late May
Golf · Rec · National
Junior golf: summer season (PGA Jr. League + tournaments)
The standard junior golf summer: PGA Jr. League team matches May through July, local junior tour and state junior events June through August. All-star postseason runs August through the national championship in October. Winter is lessons or nothing, depending on climate.
May–Aug, with PGA Jr. League postseason into Oct
Tennis · Travel/club · National
Junior tennis: USTA tournament year
USTA junior competition runs all twelve months. Tournaments are tiered from Level 7 (local) up to Level 1 (national championships), entered individually rather than as a team season. The family builds the calendar, which is the freedom and the trap.
Year-round, schedule built by the family
Baseball · Rec · National
Little League rec baseball: spring season
Spring rec baseball through Little League International. Practices start in March, games run April through June, postseason in late June. Optional fall ball for the kids who want more.
Mar–Jun, with optional fall ball Sep–Oct
Martial arts · Rec · National
Martial arts: year-round belt cycle
The standard commercial dojo calendar: classes two to three times a week all year, belt testing in quarterly windows, optional tournaments a few times a year. No season, no tryouts, no bench. The schedule risk is the contract, not the calendar.
Year-round, with testing windows roughly quarterly
Softball · Rec · National
Rec fastpitch softball: spring season
Spring rec softball through Little League Softball, USA Softball, or local leagues. Practices start in March, games run April through June, all-stars in late June. Travel fastpitch runs a different, summer-heavy calendar.
Mar–Jun, with optional fall ball Sep–Oct
Football — Flag · Rec · National
Rec flag football: fall season (NFL Flag pattern)
Fall rec flag football on the NFL Flag model: 5-on-5, no contact, one practice and one game a week. Register in summer, play September through November, league tournament at the end. Many operators run a spring season too.
Sep–Nov, with registration Jun–Aug
Theater · School · National
School theater: fall play, spring musical, festival season
The standard school production cycle: fall play auditions in September with performances in November, spring musical auditions in December or January with performances in March or April, and thespian festival season layered through winter and into June. Tech week is the load nobody warns families about.
Sep–Jun school year
Ballet · Travel/club · National
Studio ballet: placement, Nutcracker, spring show, intensive auditions
The serious-studio ballet year: level placement in August, Nutcracker from September auditions through December performances, summer intensive auditions in January and February, spring recital or company show in May or June, then the intensive itself. November is the month that eats families.
Aug–Jun studio year, with summer intensives Jun–Jul
Stunt and tumbling · School · National
STUNT: spring season (HS)
STUNT, the head-to-head game format built from cheer skills, governed by USA Cheer. High school season runs February through May: tryouts in winter, games in March and April, postseason and national championship in late April and May. Routines are standardized and released by USA Cheer each season.
Feb–May
Soccer · Elite/showcase · National
Year-round club soccer: ECNL track (girls)
ECNL (Elite Clubs National League) girls soccer. Year-round commitment with regional league play, national showcase events, and ECNL Playoffs/National Championship. The standard pre-college pipeline for girls soccer in the US.
Year-round, Aug–Jul
Gymnastics · Travel/club · National
Year-round gymnastics: Levels 3-7
USAG Junior Olympic Program, Levels 3-7. Year-round training. Competition season runs January through April with state and regional championships. Off-season is structural skill development.
Year-round, with peak Jan–Apr
Hockey · Travel/club · National
Youth travel hockey: winter season (12U)
USA Hockey travel season at the 12U level. Tryouts in late August, practices and league games September through February, district and state playoffs in March. Spring 3-on-3 and summer camps are optional add-ons, not the season.
Sep–Mar, with tryouts in late Aug