Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM OCTOBER 2-8, 2019 UCW 29 Ben Lovette Gray's Creek• Football, swimming, golf• Senior Lovette has a weighted grade point average of 4.31. He was a junior marshal and is a mem- ber of the National Honor Society. He is on the Gray's Creek Student Athlete Advisory Committee and helps with Buddy Football. He is a member of Future Farmers of America and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Hannah Sterling Gray's Creek• Volleyball, swimming• Senior Sterling has a weighted grade point average of 4.32. She is a member of the National Honor Society, the Future Farmers of America and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She also took part in her church's Vacation Bible School. Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop congratulates these amazing scholar athletes of the week and invites them to the Rocket Fizz Store at 1916 Skibo Rd. to receive a FREE gift recognizing their achievement! www.rocketfizz.com Club sports come with a hefty price tag by KARISSA NIEHOFF Recent articles have documented the rising costs of club sports, with one not- ing that about 62 per- cent of "travel ball" parents will go into debt to involve their kids in year-round sports. A USA Today article in 2017 suggested that travel baseball or volleyball could cost a family upwards of $8,000 a year, with soccer running about $5,000 on the high end. A study by TD Ameritrade suggested some parents were spending about $100 to $500 a month to fund their kids' par- ticipation on a club team, with about 20% spending $1,000 a month. Why? In some cases — unquestionably the minority — students are in the elite category from a skills standpoint and could benefit from a higher level of competition in preparation for college. In most cases, however, it is a case of parents spend- ing beyond their means with the hope that playing club sports will be the difference-maker in their children receiving an athletic scholarship to an NCAA Division I school. It is, in fact, true that an overwhelming major- ity of NCAA Division I athletes played club sports. According to an NCAA survey, 92%of women and 89% of men played club basketball, and 91% of women's volleyball players competed on a non- school team in high school. At the other end, how- ever, only 24% of football players competed on a club team. Herein lies the difference. There are more than 540,000 boys who played high school basketball last year and fewer than 6,000 who played bas- ketball at the NCAA Division I level, where most of the scholarships are available. Stated another way, about 1% of high school boys basketball play- ers will play at the NCAA Division I level. About 2.8% of the one million- plus boys in high school 11-player football will play at the Division I level. The answer? Parents should encourage their kids to play mul- tiple sports for their high school teams and save the money they would spend on club sports for college tuition if scholarship money does not mate- rialize. Even in those situations where students are charged a modest fee to participate, school-based sports remain an incredible bargain when com- pared to club sports. In many cases, Division I football and basket- ball coaches are looking to recruit multiple-sport athletes. While there are a few sports where non- school competition is crucial, college coaches will find those athletes who excel in school- based sports. High school-based sports have more interest, more media coverage and more fans than club sports, and the kids have more fun because they are representing their team and their community. Playing one sport in the fall, another during the winter and yet another in the spring is the best route to future success — whether that success is on the playing field or court, or in a boardroom. KARISSA NIEHOFF Executive Direc- tor National Federation of State High School Associations., COMMENTS? Ear- lUCWSports@gmail.com. 910-364-6638. Sixty-two percent of "travel ball" parents will go into debt to involve their kids in year-round sports. Fayetteville's Neighborhood Pet Store Full-Service Grooming Self-Wash Room Healthy Pet Foods • Gourmet Treats Toys • Collars & Leashes and Much More! 1216 Fort Bragg Rd (910) 860-1200 @WoofGangFay Mail or drop o entry by Friday, Oct. 11, 2019 Up & Coming Weekly 208 Rowan Street Fayetteville, NC 28301 (*Information is required). *Name: *Address: *Phone: *Email: 19 & 20 at the Crown Expo www.fayettevillecomiccon.com