By Parijat Jha
From football to rugby, UAHS offers an array of sports and club sports. Though a few bring in significant revenue, most bring in their money from other sources. This means each team has to find its own ways to bring in money in other ways such as fundraising or boosters. Each sport also ranges in its expenses. Depending on how much travel occurs, or how much the team has to pay for certain programs, prices to play vary.
Despite misconceptions of some students, Upper Arlington athletic director Tim Schaefer said that funding for athletic teams is equal across the board.
“The athletic department itself charges one flat fee for athletes to play. This $85 fee goes to paying the coaches’ salaries and basic team funding. Outside of that fee, the teams themselves are in charge of any team fees,” Shaefer said.
Furthermore, Schaefer said that the rest of the expenses are often paid for by donations or fundraisers. Most sports have some sort of a fundraiser that pays for a lot of team fees. The hockey team has a car wash, the football team sells Stanley Steamer Carpet Cleaner and lacrosse sells mulch, among others.
Senior captain of the lacrosse team Cam Williams has participated in mulch distribution for four years now. According to Williams, distribution is a tough task that brings in most funds for the team. All in all, the lacrosse teams sell around 22,000 bags with a $2.50 profit on each bag for a total profit of $55,000 a year. On top of this, the lacrosse team pays for its own equipment and travel costs.
Junior Abby Dugger sells not only mulch for lacrosse, but also chocolate bars for cheerleading.
“All of the fundraisers are similar. It is just that mulch takes raising money to a whole another level. Also mulch has extra incentives since the top sellers receive prizes such as gift cards,” Dugger said.
If donations prove hard to come by, fundraisers can often be the most efficient way to raise money. Although bake sales can bring in some funds, they are not as productive as other fundraisers. Finding the most efficient way is especially important due to the fact that the school can only provide so much help.
According to Schaefer, the athletic department is more than willing to help, but with certain sports such as crew, aiding athletes can be nearly impossible.
“For example, in sports like crew, the team may travel to Boston for a regatta one weekend and Chicago the next. As a high school, in the midst of budget cuts, it can be impossible to aid all the athletes in need,” Schaefer said. “Student’s shouldn’t be afraid to play sports because of monetary reasons but I think most people understand there is a limit on how much we can help.”