PREP VOICES : Club Sports Provide Polish, but at What Cost?

Club programs give young athletes opportunities to play such sports as soccer, softball, swimming and volleyball year-round. They help provide the skills and polish necessary to compete at the high school, college and national levels.

Clubs can often provide better facilities, stronger competition, more personal attention and professional expertise in a particular sport.

But at what cost?

Club sports can be a lucrative business. It has been estimated that expenses for club volleyball players can be as much as $2,000 per year, with club softball players and swimmers spending nearly $1,000. And though club coaches say offers of college scholarships are more likely to come to their charges, not even the most prestigious clubs can make any guarantees.

If an athlete wants to specialize in a sport--a conclusion reached on his or her own or by a club coach demanding commitment--what’s the harm?

Many, including high school coaches, believe the harm comes when athletes 13 to 18 years old are skipping softball or track seasons because they are concentrating on club soccer. They feel club sports rob the child of varied experiences that playing multiple sports offers. But make no mistake, high school coaches have something at stake, too--they feel they are being robbed of athletes.

Whose interests are really at stake?

On Campus

Q: Do club sports help or hinder high school sports?

“If you’re talking about excellence at the sport, club definitely increases the level and caliber of play at the high school level. If you’re talking about whether or not it’s going to lead to a scholarship, club participation is even more important than school in a whole bunch of sports.”

Glenn Hofsteter, La Palma

*

“There is no question that club volleyball for girls has enhanced the program at Dana Hills High School. A great deal of our success in 1993 is owed to the year-round dedication of our athletes and their club coaches.

“A number of female volleyball players are involved in other sports also. My opinion is that the athlete’s priority should be with the high school sport that is in season. If a female athlete is on the high school volleyball team and chooses to play club soccer simultaneously, the high school team should be the No. 1 priority.

“Club sports help high school athletes, but if a club is making money off these athletes--and they are--the ground rules of participation and likelihood of earning a scholarship in any given sport had best be spelled out in detail, up front and truthfully. No coach, club or high school, should be making promises to increase membership, team size, prestige or victories while forsaking morality.”

Mike Hurlbut, San Clemente boys’ and Dana Hills girls’ volleyball coach

*

“I play for a club softball team and it has never been suggested that we remain exclusive to the club. In fact, several of the girls on the team play two or more varsity sports at their respective high schools. It is true that club sports are highly demanding and time consuming, but there is no reason that an athlete should have to make a choice.”

Misty Lauby, El Toro senior

*

“It is difficult for someone to play several sports at the same time because they cannot do justice to any of them. Most club/travel teams require that the athlete only play one sport so she can attend all the practices and games.

“The travel teams help the high school teams by keeping the athletes fine-tuned all year instead of having to start over from scratch each year.”

Verne Dawson, Cobra club softball coach Rowland Heights

*

“You are correct in saying club programs give young athletes opportunities to play sports throughout the year. To add to this, the programs provide facilities that local schools might not offer. Club teams and programs widen the area of opportunities for the kids.”

Charlie Andres, Mater Dei, Class of 1990

*

“It’s rather absurd that sports have become a big-time operation in high school. These are teen-agers and they should be left alone in their decision-making along the lines of sports. They need to be free from the pressure of an adult saying, ‘No, you have to do this,’ because it’s best for the adult. We have to start thinking about what’s best for the children.”

Gerry Scheinman, Irvine

*

“Being on a club team is good, but there are positive and negative sides to it. One good thing is athletes are in top condition for their sports, and if they stick with it and are really good, they can get scholarships and maybe go as far as the Olympics. The only negative thing is that it prevents athletes from participating in other sports. Overall, being on a club year round is good and healthy. And if the athlete has fun doing it, then why not? Most athletes who have fun, but are serious at the same time, usually succeed.”

Mitra Khalasbeigi, Orange senior

*

“Should the high school coaches be surprised by the possessiveness they feel the club programs have toward their athletes? After nine to 10 years of working with an athlete to suddenly be asked to forgo all your involvement and defer to the high school coach is not natural. This is compounded by the fact that many of the high school programs are coached by walk-on coaches.

“In addition, the club athlete hoping to earn an athletic scholarship has a much greater opportunity via participation in club athletics than solely in participating with the high school program. This is especially true with regards to swimming. The college coach becomes much more aware of the athlete through club programs and national club championships than through high school programs. This is due in large part to the ever-decreasing athletic budgets of all colleges and universities. The college coach will concentrate his/her recruiting dollar on attending the national club championships as opposed to attempting to travel to more than 50 state high school championships.

“A club program can generally provide a better training environment for those athletes that wish to excel to the highest level. This is due in large part to a better coach-athlete ratio as well as homogeneity of training groups.”

David Salo, Irvine Novaquatics coach

*

“Part of our society focuses on the elite athlete, and club teams help athletes achieve this level. To help kids excel, they need to focus on one, possibly two sports that transfer over, such as swimming and water polo or cross-country and track.”

Everett Uchiyama, Club and community college swim coach, Tustin

*

“Before I started swimming club, I had a very small picture of competitive swimming. After going through a full year with my club team and then going back to the high school season, I realized I was more focused, determined and confident.”

Laura Martinez, Irvine, Class of ’93

*

“For the past three years I’ve been on the Rosary varsity swim team, and every year we’ve had a new coach. Club training is more concentrated and difficult, and people are not messing around.”

Carolyn Fisher, Rosary senior

*

“Club sports are very detrimental to high school sports in that they require, in almost a business-like manner, kids to participate in club sports for extended periods of time. Kids in high school should have the option to play several sports. I’d like to see some of these club programs just run during the summer.”

Cameron Karg, Laguna Beach

*

“Club programs enhance players’ performances. They give them the opportunity to compete against better players and to increase their potential, especially girls, to get scholarships. College coaches want to know what club teams you played with, because they know the caliber and quality of these programs. If the high schools want to compete or keep the kids in their programs, they need to develop them better, especially girls’ sports.”

Michele Laughlin, Rancho Santa Margarita

*

“Club sports create competition for high school sports to be better. If an athlete doesn’t want to play more than one sport, he has the opportunity to excel in just one. If a high school doesn’t offer good athletic programs, the student has a club option.”

Paul Davidson, So. Calif. Aquatics Club coach

*

“The constant tug and pull between high school and club team coaches makes it a tough decision for the athletes. They want to play for their school, but playing club ball is more challenging and develops better and stronger skills.”

Ed Barry, San Clemente

*

“I’m very much in support of outside clubs for my swimmers. It keeps them in the sport year-round and makes us a much stronger team.”

Debbi Kelly, Fountain Valley girls’ swim coach

*

“The biggest problem I’ve had with the high school coaches is they want to believe we don’t exist. When it’s their sport’s season, they don’t want their kids practicing with us. We have to fight to get practice time. As far as the strict allegiance, very few of the teams I’ve been around have ever said, ‘You’re not to play for your high school team, you’re only to play for us,’ because we understand how important high school sports are for kids.”

Roger Nicholls, Raiders club softball assistant coach Aliso Viejo

*

“As long as colleges offer scholarships for athletes, there will be a demand for club programs that usually offer better training and higher levels of competition than high schools. As long as clubs exist, high school coaches will select club players for their teams, knowing that club players usually advance faster and further.”

Jack Houston, Physical education teacher and former club volleyball coach Mission Viejo