For decades, participation in high school sports was considered a privilege by the national organization that sanctions such activities. Today, high school sports are often just one option in a competitive landscape dotted with countless club teams promising a heightened level of play.
In 2018, should high schools even be in the sports business? Not surprisingly, the five members of a recent Cap Times Talks panel agreed — as do I — that school sports are vital to the development of student-athletes.
“It’s still a really big deal to make your high school team,” David Bell, director of UW-Madison’s Wisconsin Injury in Sport Laboratory, told moderator and Cap Times news editor Jason Joyce in front of about 25 attendees at Madison Memorial High School on May 8. “It’s something [kids] can hang onto for the rest of their lives.”
“[High school] athletes are a reflection of their community and society,” added Eric Bertun, commissioner of the Big Eight Conference.
Other panelists included Will Green, co-founder of Mentoring Positives Inc. and coach of the La Follette High School girls’ basketball team; Alex Mundy, coach of Nemea, West High School’s girls’ ultimate disc club team; and Jeremy Schlitz, athletic director for both the Madison Metropolitan School District and Madison Memorial.
The National Federation of State High School Associations reports that the overall number of high school sports participants increased for the 28th consecutive year in 2016-17, to nearly eight million. Yet club sports impact school sports programs, perhaps in more subtle ways. Elite club athletes and their parents, whose emphasis is more on winning as a goal, don’t always understand the wider focus of school sports, which includes everything from improving fundamentals to fostering a supportive team environment and playing atmosphere.
“It’s my job, as a coach, to impose positivity,” Green said. “Chasing Ws is fun, especially when you can create a [strong] culture.”
As a former youth coach and longtime swim parent, I’ve experienced both club and school sports, and they couldn’t be more different. They each have their place, though, which is one reason my kids swam for their school during the season and for a local USA Swimming club at other times of the year. And I don’t think they would trade either experience.
The entire wide-ranging Cap Times Talk, which also focused on sports injuries and safety, the role of non-traditional school sports like ultimate disc, and the dwindling pool of game officials, can be heard on the Cap Times website.
