A large number of student-athletes at SVHS participate in both high school and club sports. The stark difference between the two is that high school athletics count towards P.E. credits, which are necessary for graduation, while club sports do not. Student-athletes balance athletics and academics which both require immense time and effort no matter if they play club, high school, or both.
The topic has been brought up on multiple occasions among SVHS’s athletics community, yet the rule has remained untouched. This is primarily because schools cannot actively regulate a club sport, while high school sports can be easily monitored. Varsity boys soccer player and junior Cris Rivera agrees that he is “fine with it,” and that “club is not affiliated with high school.” Rivera plays club soccer for Sonoma Valley United. When asked if there is a particular difference between high school and club sports for him personally, Rivera remarks that “it’s a lot more competitive at the club level.” For him and his club team, he says that “[they] use high school more for keeping in shape.”
On the other side of the argument, varsity girls soccer player and junior Teagan Rhodes demonstrates her frustration with the rule and says how she “does soccer all year, and [she] goes to practice almost every day,” yet it doesn’t count towards credit. “I had to take Dance my sophomore year,” she continues “…I couldn’t take another elective. That was really rough for me.” Many student-athletes such as herself have to replace the possibility of another elective with P.E. or Dance, which takes away from academic experience when they do enough athletic activities outside of school.
Varsity basketball player and senior Mia Lucchetti agrees with Rhode’s statement, saying she believes it to be “unfair” as well. Lucchetti plays soccer all year round for North Coast FC in Petaluma, and explains how she “practices and drives to Petaluma 3-4 days a week…that’s far more than what they do in P.E.” With this commute, it becomes difficult for Lucchetti and other athletes like her to balance the high school sport requirement with their club sport.
One student-athlete in particular that relates to Lucchetti’s situation is junior Olivia Paxton, who plays for the varsity girls’ volleyball team as well as Aloha Beach Volleyball Club. “I have tournaments on weekends and practice three days a week, which is as much as P.E.,” she says. “Because I’m focused on my singular sport,” she continues, “I don’t have time to do another sport competitively for the high school.”
Overall, many student-athletes on campus are frustrated with the rules and regulations regarding the P.E. requirements and want to make a change. These student-athletes spend a great deal of time practicing, competing, and perfecting their club sports and think it is unreasonable that on top of their club sport, they still have to fulfill their P.E. regiments. Some, like Rivera, are not annoyed with this rule, because they use high school sports to support their club sport as training. Altogether, the student-athlete community at SVHS collectively shares mixed opinions towards the P.E. and club sports regulation.
