For many student athletes, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is a great way to participate and progress in your sport outside of your high school season. The AAU is a multi-sports league for athletes younger than 18 years old.
One of the biggest differences between school sports and AAU sports is the schedule. For a school team, basketball practices are typically Monday through Fridays and occasionally on weekends. But for Kingson Thomas’s (9) AAU team, practices are only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The amount of games played in a week are also significantly different.
“We could play up to like six games in one day compared to just one game a week,” Thomas said.
This alternative schedule also affects team bonding. When practices are only two days a week, team chemistry can be a bit more difficult to manufacture, but friendships can still be formed.
“A lot of my friends come from AAU,” Thomas said. “It’s more jokes and laughs compared to the school team.”
Wardrell Wicker (10) has been playing on an AAU basketball team since sixth grade. He liked the competitiveness of the league and being able to play and meet people from all over the midwest. When it comes to AAU vs the school team though, he feels the team dynamic is completely different.
“That [school team] chemistry is already built because you see them everyday,” Wicker said. “But for AAU It’s kind of weird because you don’t see them a lot but when you do it’s always genuine.”
Henry Peck (10) feels that because everyone there is more serious about basketball, it’s overall a more competitive team environment. Peck has been playing on an AAU basketball team since seventh grade and thinks that it’s been helpful for his development as a player.
“AAU is way scrappier and more physical,” Peck said. “So when school season comes around I’m more prepared for physical games.”
AAU track runner Gabby Pruitt (11) agrees with Peck that AAU has been a good way of developing skills in the off season.
“I like it, you get more competition and different types of competition when you run an AAU because the people are from all over,” Pruitt said.
Pruitt has been running on an AAU track team for the last eight summers. She practices three to four times a week in Detroit, and her meets are usually held on Saturdays.
Depending on the conference that a team is in, competition can vary in difficulty. With travel track and field, competition can be more serious because the athletes are from all over the state, not just in one area. Some areas of the state have better athletes than others, AAU track and field gives the opportunity to compete with them also.
One of the main differences for Pruitt between the school team and the AAU team were the coaching.
“I had a female coach which was different from having a male coach. I feel like I bonded with her more, we just kind of clicked and had a better connection,” Pruitt said.
Coaching is an extremely important part of athletics, and the way it is done deeply impacts the athlete, and who your coach is can be equally important.
Another important aspect that separates AAU Track and Field is the team dynamic.
“Even though it’s more strict and individualized, I still feel closer [to my AAU team.]” Pruitt said. “We just bond more, and we have had more team dinners than I’ve ever had with my school team.”
