Club-only athletes miss high school competition

Carissa Bauer finished the 1A state championship cross country race in 25:05 and in 44th place. When asked about her St. Joseph teammates who had just helped her earn the 1A state title, she waved her hand and modestly said she wasn't in their league.

But the beauty of high school sports is that Bauer's willingness to get up at 5 a.m. every day to train and compete with runners who have more natural ability means that they all get to hoist that state championship trophy in the air. Something most of them could not accomplish alone, they can do together, and it is an accomplishment meaningful not just to them but to the community that they represent.

That's why the decision of more than a half dozen soccer players is weighing heavy on my mind this weekend.

At least eight girls opted not to play soccer for their high school squads because their club coach felt it would be to their advantage to train with their club team during the two-and-a-half month prep season. He admitted to another Deseret Morning News reporter that he encouraged them not to play high school soccer in an attempt to refine their skills and improve their chances of getting college scholarship offers.

He — and their parents — did what they thought was best for these student-athletes' soccer and collegiate careers. After all, what parents don't want to see their children earn a free education playing a game they love?

And while this group of adults may have done what was best for the scholarship opportunities of these girls, they did them a disservice as human beings.

One of the girls who skipped her high school season missed out on the chance to earn a state title with her prep teammates. I'm sure if she knew this summer, when she made that decision, that her school's team would earn a state championship, she'd have reconsidered. According to her high school coach, she was already on the radar of college coaches and likely would have earned an athletic scholarship.

The sad reality is that kids can have both positive high school and productive club experiences without sacrificing anything.

I am not opposed to the club soccer system at all. In fact, I believe the club system has benefited women most because it's not only raised their skill level, it's provided them opportunities to travel and be exposed to collegiate programs that traditionally don't have much money to recruit female athletes.

I am opposed, however, to the all-or-nothing attitude of some coaches and parents.