The pros and cons of participating in public school athletic programs

One time I was taking a nap right by my coaches and I missed my event,” said junior Tianna Lee.

“It was incredibly embarrassing because my coaches yelled at me to get up but I was so tired that I didn’t even wake up,” Lee said.

Lee has been a part of the Ballard Girls Swim Team since she was a freshman.

For those who wish University Prep had a bigger variety of sports as a part of the athletic program, there is always the opportunity to participate in a sport with a public school. There are currently nine upper school students participating in a fall sport with another school.

It can be hard to play a sport with another school for multiple reasons. As most public schools get out at 2:20 or 2:30, it can often be difficult for U Prep students to make it on time to their practices.

“I get to practice late everyday and most of the time I only get to swim [with Ballard High School] for 30 minutes,” Lee said.

Going to a different school can often leave you out of activities that the rest of the team may do at their school on the day of a game.

“Sometimes they would have meetings at their school that I couldn’t be a part of,” Freshman Morgan Delancy said.

Despite missing out on team meetings during the school hours and rushing to get to practices, Delancy and Lee both feel that participating in a sport at a different school has been a great opportunity for them to branch out and meet new people. “It’s a great way to meet new people that you wouldn’t normally compete against,” junior Joe Klemencic said.

Many wish that U Prep had more of a variety of sports to participate in.

“I do enjoy the athletic program at U Prep, I just wish that maybe we had a little more of a selection of sports” Lee said.

Sophomores Jacob Richey and Vivian Voth both wish that U Prep had a swim team they could participate in and many more students have also expressed interest.

Out of the nine upper school students playing a sport for a public school, five of them participate on a swim team. Having a swim team seems like just one of the sports that many U Prep students would like to see happen. There are many reasons why swimming, along with other sports students wish for can’t happen.

When asked about the situation, Athletic Director Rebecca Moe said that many factors decide what sports U Prep can offer. Specifically for swimming, there are no other 1A league schools that offer swimming.

“Pool facilities are extremely hard to find, as priority is given to the public schools,” Moe said.

Though the lack of pool facilities and no 1A swim league makes it hard for any chance of U Prep ever having a swim team, it should not get in the way of anyone wanting to try or participate on a sports team that U Prep doesn’t offer. “I continue to swim for Ballard despite the challenges that sometimes come with it because of my passion for the sport,” Lee said.

By: Jen Wen