Athletes at Placer have been competing not only in school and club sports, but their school schedules as well; numerous athletes are involved in traveling teams that pose a conflict with their school sport, which creates a problem for them, their school work, and social life. With winter sports going on and club sports just starting too, athletes have had troubles with managing time between both, from impressing scouts at club tournaments to winning the league title at school, multi sports athletes have had to make tough decisions between the two.
 
“It’s more of a different experience, more competitive and out of town tournaments for club and for school it’s more spirit and representing your school, and it’s less competitive,” stated NCVC and Placer varsity girls basketball player, Kirstin Schauble. Club sports require a lot of dedication to your team, and commitment is a key part in playing for a club team. Statistics show that a multi sport athlete is more likely to get an athletic college scholarship if they play for their school and a traveling team. School sports get a lot of fans excited and it’s a great environment for an athlete to experience true school spirit. Even though high school sports don’t get as much exposure, they are still a great way to build one’s self esteem, make new friends, and learn something new.

Club sports can benefit a student more than high school sports due to the fact that scouting is only legal at traveling team tournaments. Clare McInerney, freshman, stated, “You get a higher level of coaching and it’s more intense and you play for a longer period of time, rather than with school sports.” Clare plays for NCVC and also plays for Placer’s girl’s JV basketball team, “All my basketball games are on the same nights as my club volleyball practices, you don’t want to miss practices because it affects your playing time.”

With conflicting times between games and practices, it’s no wonder why athletes have trouble managing their time between school, friends, and family. Homework is a burden for all students, but for those competing in multiple sports at once, it is especially challenging, “It’s sometimes hard to get my homework done because I’m so tired from my practices,” stated a club volleyball player for Cal Synergy and team captain for Placer’s JV girls basketball team, Kellyn McDonald. Time management may be an issue, but if you have juggled the conflicting schedules for a while, it becomes routine. “If I know I have a ton of practices one day, I’ll stay after class or at lunch to do my homework,” said student athlete, Kellyn McDonald.

Kirstin, Clare, and Kellyn all agreed that in order to be a successful club and school sport athlete one must be able to communicate well with their coaches about conflicting times and game schedules. Also, good communication between parents and team mates is a vital aspect in figuring out what time tournaments and practices are or who needs to carpool. The best advice any club and school sport athlete can offer is, “Make a decision earlier in your sports career about what sport you want to pursue the most,” advised Kellyn McDonald.