Once school starts, most athletes will tell you that all of their hard work and training is to prepare for the school conference season and playoffs to follow, but in that process club sports are often overlooked. With a lot of sports like tennis, football, track and cross country, and wrestling, there are no club options that allow athletes to be on a team and play their sport year-round, so those sports have to train on their own. Other sports like swimming, diving, volleyball, softball, and basketball have specific organizations that provide them with the opportunity to be on a team, practice, and compete.

Although a lot of athletes see club sports as a way to stay in shape for their school season, there is some competition between club and school regarding athlete participation. Some kids have the choice of playing a club sport instead of their school sport. Some benefits of club sports are more exposure to college recruits and a consistent environment all year long with the same coaches and coaching styles.

Choosing to play a sport for your school and play club for the rest of the year is a popular option because everyone, for the most part, enjoys having school spirit and representing their school and community. Many athletes take great pride in wearing their school name and colors on their jerseys and are proud of the school they attend as well as the team they are apart of. As the years progress, I have seen more and more athletes choose to avoid school athletics completely and most choose to do so based on personal preferences.

There is no right or wrong choice when it comes to playing club or school. It is a decision that is based on the preference of the athlete and what type of atmosphere and experience they are looking to have. Whether or not they play club or school I hope every athlete in the Forest Hills community chooses to work hard and represent themselves and their organization in a positive way.