Life lesson a tough one for Olympus senior

Lisa Christensen, a senior at Olympus High, is pretty much everything you want in a student-athlete. She has a 3.8 grade-point average in the classroom. She is one of the top players on her school's soccer team and one of its captains. She volunteers each week in a grade-school reading program. She is active in her church.

So how did she find herself in trouble with the Utah High School Activities Association?

How did she wind up suspended and sobbing on the sidelines as her Olympus High teammates lost in the playoffs?

Answer: She played in an unsanctioned (read: non-high school) competition.

The night before the high school playoffs began, Lisa's brother invited her to play on his co-ed indoor soccer league team because they needed another girl. Figuring it was a low-key game that wouldn't tire her for the playoffs, she accepted the invitation. Why not?

Because there is a high school rule that forbids athletes from competing for other teams in the same sport during the season. Any game that is played for another team will result in a suspension for the same number of games. Because Lisa played in one "illegal" game, she was suspended for one game, and since the regular season was finished, that game was the first round of the playoffs against Sky View in Smithfield.

Her father, Mike, was understandably upset. His daughter had worked hard and looked forward to the playoffs to cap off her senior year. He pled with the officials at the UHSAA. He talked to UHSAA executive director Rob Cuff for an hour on the phone while driving to the opening playoff game in Smithfield, hoping for an 11th-hour pardon. In the end, Lisa sat on the sidelines crying as her team — which had been good enough to defeat eventual state runnerup Skyline during the regular season — lost 4-2.

Was the punishment fair?

Whether you agree with the application of it in this case or not, the rule was adopted for good reason — it allows more kids to participate in sports. If a kid takes a roster spot on a high school team, that opens up a roster spot for another kid on club and church teams and vice versa. It also protects high school coaches who are otherwise powerless against club teams pilfering their rosters and risking injury and fatigue to their players.

"We're all about participation," says Cuff. "Our rules have been determined based on issues in the past."