Money not a barrier to success, according to athletes

By Jackson Feldwick-Jones,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

The old maxim “money makes the world go round” could apply to high school athletics. The money for athletics varies wildly between sports and sometimes this cost can be a barrier. At Davis High, however, cost is not a major impediment for many sports.

Sports can be expensive. A lot of longtime athletes have spent well into the thousands on their game. Junior John Shim estimates that he has spent about $15,000 on sports, mostly on golf, but does not think the steep price necessarily inhibits the financially disadvantaged to join.

“The school definitely provides help to students [that need it] for golf,” Shim said.

Sophomore baseball and football player Payne Barksdale agrees with Shim.

“I think the school provides adequate financial help to the athletes, especially for football. […] I think they’re doing a good job on that for the kids that need,” Barksdale said.

Junior and eight year snowboarder Leland Finn said that he thinks the school does a good job helping those with less money by holding fundraisers.

Women’s varsity tennis head coach Sally Hosley thinks that money is not an issue for her program, and that for students with financial issues, tennis is a great sport.

“Funding [is] there if we need it. […] We service our kids well,” Hosley said.

While the consensus appears to be positive towards DHS’ athletic financial assistance, money can still be a factor.

While Shim believes that the school provides solid economic support to those in need, he thinks students with more money still have an advantage.

“If you have money, you don’t have to think about [a bunch of] other issues,” Shim said.

Junior Julia Pan plays varsity tennis and thinks that extra money can help out, depending on the sport.

“You can be more fully equipped with higher quality stuff. But all you need is the motivation to achieve success,” Pan said.

Finn believes that affluence is not a major thing in gaining an advantage, but that it is “more about skill level and motivation.”