Our school offers a variety of Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) sports, but they all have some incredible price ranges. Some activities can be thousands of dollars, while others are only a couple hundred. Our school has good reason for having expensive sports though, since there are a lot of factors to consider.
For example, the softball and baseball teams have some of the most equipment needed to play. Therefore, the cost to play is higher compared to other sports.
“They have to make the team first in order to play. Then there’s a utility usage fee of 250 dollars,” Baseball and softball coach Jason Howser said.
When you account for all of the gloves, uniforms, bats, and more, the price for joining is more understandable.
“A glove can be anywhere from 300 to 500 dollars, so is a bat. The district also pays for the uniforms. You could get used equipment, but then you’re sacrificing quality,” Howser said.
Golf is another sport that has a lot of equipment in it. The amount needed to play is similar to the softball and baseball fee, but it covers a lot more things.
“250 dollars covers apparel like polos, skirts, towels, shirts that the player gets to keep. It helps cover greens and cart fees for district and state practice rounds. It also is used to buy drinks and snack foods for the players to drink and eat during tournaments. Finally, it helps pay for the end of year banquet and awards,” Girls golf coach Justin Drane said.
Drane says that while the district covers where the golf team plays and small equipment, that’s about it. He and the players pay for most of their own things.
“Obviously, students must provide their own clubs, shoes, and golf balls. The district does provide some golf balls, but with larger teams it rarely makes much of a difference for the entire team. The district also buys polos every three years that are kept by the school and rotated out. The district also pays a fee to the public courses. I buy various training aids and miscellaneous items throughout the season,” Drane said.
Despite the budget varying from year to year, Drane believes that the cost and money the golf program gets is very fair. Looking good not only increases our school reputation, but also helps our player’s performance.
“I think our budget currently works pretty well. I want our players to feel valued and a part of something important. I think looking good in our apparel and buying high quality apparel and equipment goes a long ways towards that,” Drane said.
Our school has multiple tournaments in other cities and even as far as other states, so they need to think about entry fees, hotel costs, and transportation. Plus, our school buys high quality equipment and apparel for students so that they can be as efficient as possible while playing.
It’s not all up to the district, students, and coaches though. Certain sports allow sponsors to pay for admission fees students would otherwise pay. The amount varies, depending on the sport and sponsors, but you can end up playing the sport for free.
Overall, it’s up to personal discretion. Our sports fees have been created to be as affordable as possible while still providing the most efficient equipment and utilities, making sure you can excel in your field.
