Athletes all have one thing in common—they are physically and emotionally invested in the sport they play. With all the time and energy student athletes put in, some feel degraded by the fact that their hard work and dedication is not recognized by the school.
McLean students are fortunate that their school offers a variety of extracurricular activities and sports. However, because there is such a wide span in participation, not every sport is recognized at a varsity level, evoking frustration among teams.
“I’m proud of all of our students and what they choose to do in school and out of school. We have a really amazing student body and that’s one thing I’ve always been proud of. Athletics, clubs, activities, marching band, drama, newspaper, yearbook—people spend a lot of time on their activities and work very hard,” Director of Student Activities Jim Patrick said. “One thing I find is that it’s very rewarding to be in a community where kids excel at high levels, and I feel like part of athletic participation is the comradery that you find in or out of school activity.”
There are three levels of sports teams: interest groups/community sports, club and varsity.
Community sports are made up of teams like hockey and rugby; however, they are not associated with the school. In an interest group students can meet at school to talk about their love for the sport, but the practicing, competing and coaching take place within the community, not in the school.
A club sport is self-financed by the team. Club sports are VHSL recognized and have to follow the FCPS regulations and guidelines. The teams have equal access to any equipment or facilities that varsity level sports have access to.
Along with equipment, the school also helps oversee in the hiring of coaches, but they do not pay coach stipends. Club teams include crew and freshman field hockey.
Varsity sports include basketball, football, cross country, track, wrestling, field hockey, lacrosse, swimming, softball, baseball, gymnastics, cheer, dance, tennis, girls volleyball and soccer. When a sport is classified as varsity, it means that under Regulation 3860.8 it is acknowledged county-wide as a varsity level sport.
The county pays coaches’ stipends for all varsity sports, keeps up field maintenance and provides transportation and officials for games or meets.
It is not the activities office, Patrick or Principal Ellen Reilly who controls which sports receive which title. Instead, it is decided county-wide and the schools are required to enforce the rules.
The activities office’s main job is to supply the equipment and uniforms for the team. Funding of each individual team is done through fundraisers by the activities office (which consists primarily of ticket sales) and by the team itself.
When a sport is classified as interest group, club or varsity, it is possible for the team to gain or lose their status. For example, boys volleyball was classified as a club sport until participation dropped to one-third of the schools participating, causing it to become a community sport. Winter cheerleading and boys gymnastics were also sports, but due to lack of popularity they were removed all together.
As soon as 50 percent of schools have interest in a specific sport, they can come together and make a recommendation to the division superintendents to add the sport to the athletic program.
Due to difficulties with the FCPS budget, it has been harder for sports to gain recognition and easier for teams to lose status. Once schools agree that the athletic programs no longer serve the particular population of students, the sport can be deleted.
“Is it regrettable that we can’t recognize every activity that each student does? It is certainly regrettable, but our students are involved in so many things that’s why we have to restrict our recognition,” Patrick said.