WOODBURY — As an athlete, sitting on the bench is something nobody wants to do, and that means we work our butts off so our coach finally notices us— well, that’s what we hope happens.
Here’s the thing: there are high school sports, and club sports. Some say school sports are kind of an extracurricular. It gives us something to do besides school, and gives us bonds with our peers within the building.
With club, it’s all business. You play to play, you get better, and your coaches actually spend time with you. They listen to what you want to improve, and give you more in depth training on how you can benefit as a player, versus benefiting the team overall.
Ava Rickenbach, a sophomore who plays both school season and club, offers her opinion on how club sports have deeper beneficial impacts.
“Club season has been better for me personally, you know, being able to work with two different coaches who both played my position while in college,” Rickenbach said. “You get to meet and play with people all around Connecticut, which makes it more intriguing. It’s more exciting, seeing how you can mix in your skills with the other girls’ skills, versus the team that you have been playing with your whole high school career.”
Right off the bat, club sports give off higher competition. According to the Meredith College Admissions Blog, “most college coaches prefer to attend club tournaments because they are able to see significantly more athletes in one day. The talent level is often much higher than a traditional high school game as well.”
Neve Kline, a junior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, agrees that playing on a club team provides more improvement than school teams.
“Club is more centered around the sport, where school can be a more fun extracurricular,” Kline said. “I think the school season is hard because it isn’t specific to any player and not everyone can get the coaching and playing time where there is less experience.
“I think that club is more beneficial, even though we don’t have as many games during club, because of the concept that everyone is held to the same expectation,” Kline continues. “You’re just constantly trying to push yourself to be better, because you know that your team expects that from you. You’re on the team for a reason, it isn’t school where anyone can join the team.”
Even though Rickenbach and Kline share my opinion that club is way better, some people think the actual school season is more beneficial. Junior Lana Zupnick, who is going to be one of the Nonnewaug Volleyball Team captains, thinks school sports take the cake because of the continuity.
“With club it was different,” Zupnick said. “The players, the coaches, as well as the style. Learning from a different coach is also a change, versus having the same coach during high school season. They have different techniques. It’s almost when transitioning from club to high school season that you kind of have to re-learn everything from the coaches way.”
Although the transition from club to school might be annoying, club sports come out on top every time. With all the pros, like meeting new people, getting one-on-one coaching, as well as learning advanced new things, it’s clear who the winner is.
This is the opinion of Sophia Caldarella, a senior reporter for the Chief Advocate and volleyball player at Nonnewaug.
