PrepNet / SPEAK OUT

What is the most important sport on your campus? What makes it No. 1 at your high school?

CHRIS VAN CAMP, Valencia, Baseball

In my mind, it’s baseball but overall I probably have to say football because of the tradition it holds here. Valencia has won championships in football. After we started winning some baseball games last year, people were coming to our games, but my sophomore year we didn’t win anything and no one came. I don’t play football, but I am not jealous and I know it would be tough for another sport to overtake football here. Football is what people talk about and the boosters and the school are more involved with it.

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JAMES WHITTED, Irvine, Baseball

I would have to say football is number one at Irvine. It always has been. I play both football and baseball. Everyone I know goes to the football games. Everyone knows who you are when you play football and always congratulates you when you do well. I have a helmet on when I play wide receiver in football, just my hat when I play the outfield in baseball. But even though they could see my face, not that many people would know me from baseball because unfortunately not that many people come to the games. I’d still play baseball if I didn’t play football, but football will always be number one here.

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MICHELLE WHITEMAN, Magnolia, Volleyball/Softball

The most popular sport, by far, is football, because there are so many people who go to the games and support it. We have pep rallies for it, everyone is really enthusiastic about it, the football players are really well-known around campus and the coaches are well-respected. But if any sport rules, it’s got to be volleyball. We’ve won the league title the last 10 years, been to the semifinals the last three years, and everyone knows who the volleyball team is. But people don’t go to the volleyball games just to go.

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KAITLIN SANDENO, El Toro, Swimmer

Our school has a lot of different sports, so I don’t know what makes one sport more important than another. But I feel people are more interested if their friends play, or the team is doing well. At our school, football gets the most publicity.

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