11/7/2007 - The Single-Sport Athlete Dilemma
How many times have you heard this phrase, “It is a year-round sport now” when it comes to high school athletics? Probably a lot. And possibly out of my mouth while broadcasting a soccer or field hockey game on Service Electric Cable Television Channel 10’s Game of the Week.
I know I made that point the other evening after watching West Essex’s dominant field hockey team blank a very game, but overmatched, Newton squad, 4-0, in the North 1, Group 2 sectional final under the lights (more on that later) at West Essex. The Knights have been a state power for years and all of their players compete year round, and it shows on the field with 27 sectional championships and 12 state group titles.
But it got me to thinking. Is it a good or bad thing that athletes these days are making such a huge commitment to just one sport? After wrestling with the idea, weighing the pros and cons, I came to the conclusion that dedication to a sport that you excel is a fine undertaking, but it can rob the athlete of the full high school experience. It also reduces the talent pool in other sports when athletes specialize, which can hurt high school athletic programs, especially ones with small enrollment.
And this begs the question, why are student-athletes resorting to specialization? The easy answer is this: the pursuit of an athletic college scholarship. With the price of a college education going through the roof, parents are looking to find any way they can to pay for college. According to the College Board, the average cost for one year at a private four-year institution is a whopping $32,307.
Wow. My four-years plus (Yes, I was a little bit of a late bloomer academically) at Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) in the mid 1980s didn’t add up to that. The news is a little better on the public front where it will set you back just a measly (Yeah, right) $13,589 per year. So I can see why parents are eager to find any means possible to foot the bill. But are they chasing fool’s gold when it comes to athletic scholarships?
The numbers say, yes. According to Joe Renkers, a nationally-known speaker on the subject of pursuing athletic scholarships, only 0.8 percent of high school athletes receive a full Division I scholarship. That’s right. Out of the roughly 7.3 million boys and girls who play high school sports in the United States, less than 1 percent will get a free ride at a big-time program.
Here are some more sobering numbers: In Division I and II combined, just 126,000 athletes are on scholarship. And according to Sports Decisions, Inc, just under 6 percent of all high school athletes go onto to play on the college level.
I know, I know, my kid is different. If he or she had the right training and coaching, colleges will be knocking down our doors. Maybe. But the numbers say differently.
Now, I’m not suggesting that kids should not play for club teams or AAU in the offseason. That is great and it keeps their game sharp. They shouldn’t, however, just play one sport. My thinking is, if you are good enough to specialize, you are good enough to play other sports as well.
High school is about learning in and out of the classroom, and playing three sports, if you are capable, really enhances the high school experience. You are able to bond with different classmates, learn different philosophies from a variety of coaches and keep that mental edge by competing all school year.
The really special athletes, and as the numbers point out are few and far between, they will have to make a choice of what sport they want to play on the college level. Most college coaches on the Division I level want their players to play just one sport, although there are exceptions, like Bo Jackson at Auburn, Deion Sanders at Florida State, and Kenny Lofton at Arizona, for example.
But until they go to college, they should follow the lead of Joe Martinek of Hopatcong. Martinek, who is red-shirting for Rutgers’ football team this season, completed an amazing high school career last June. He obviously excelled in football, as well as track, but he played hoops because he wanted to have fun his senior year and play with his buddies. Sure there was a risk of injury, but you can also slip in the shower, too.
I recently did an article for New Jersey Baseball Magazine on Rick Porcello, the former Seton Hall Prep baseball star who signed a $7.25 million deal with the Detroit Tigers in August. Porcello obviously is a special talent, but at 6-foot-5, he said he loved playing hoops, but he didn’t because baseball was his future. That’s sad. Sure, he is a millionaire, but he lost out on the memories of playing basketball with his friends in high school. And the chances are, he still would have made his millions on the diamond.
So, what I’m saying is that high school is just a mere short four years and athletes should get the most out of it. It would terrible for an athlete to look back after graduation and lament the fact they didn’t play more than one sport because chances are they aren’t going to get a scholarship. And there is also another way of paying for college: getting good grades. The combination of athletic ability and good grades will help any athlete score some sort of financial aid.
So make sure after you hit the weight room, you hit the books. It is your best bet.
NIGHT FEVER IN NORTH CALDWELL: As I mentioned before, I called the West Essex-Newton game under the lights Monday evening. But if Newton had its druthers (And, exactly what are druthers? Someone please fill me in on that one) that game would have been played Monday at 2 p.m.
According to the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association rules, both teams must consent to the starting time. But according to West Essex, the game couldn’t be played at 2 p.m. and Newton balked. Unfortunately, the Braves’ protest was denied and they played under the lights. It was the only field hockey section final played under the lights Monday.
Newton hadn’t played a night game in years and was at a disadvantage. That should never happen, especially when it comes to a game as big as a section final. Here’s hoping that Newton AD Kurt Walton can get to the bottom of this and it won’t happen again.
GIANT KILLERS: Hats off to Brad Cameron and his Pope John Lions for stunning nationally-ranked and previously undefeated Pingry, 1-0, in penalty kicks last week in the Non-Public, North A quarterfinals in Martinsville.
The Lions’ dream season ended Monday with a 4-0 setback to another national power, Delbarton, in the semis. The Lions gave a great account of themselves and for Sussex County soccer. Hopefully their effort will shed some more light on the brand of outstanding ball that is played up here on a yearly basis.
And with speaking with Cameron after the big win, he said that he hopes Pope John will shed its image of just being a “football school.” The PJ football team has earned that distinction, and that is what Cameron is shooting for with the boys soccer team.
That’s it for now. See you on the sidelines.
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