How athletes at AHS improve their game outside of sports season
Staff Writer
It’s obvious that athletes at AHS dedicate much time to their craft, but this effort does not simply cease to exist once the two-to-three-month school season is over.
Isabella Zhao (11), a volleyball player at AHS and Lakas Volleyball Club, said, “If you play on a school team, there is a long break until conditioning starts again, so playing in a year-round club keeps you from becoming rusty.”
“Club sports are higher commitments and train at a higher level,” said Julia Wan (11), an AHS swimmer who has also swam with the Milpitas Aquatic Club. “For club swimming, there’s a training cycle before a meet, but there isn’t as much thought behind the process in school sports.”
The difference in intensity can sometimes be attributed to the students who join club sports, said Coach Shaan, who coaches American High water polo and at West Valley Water Polo Club. “People who play club tend to be more into the sport and have played the sport longer, so they can develop skills more quickly.”
“More people feel dedicated to their club sport because they pay for it,” said Chloe Dang (11) an athlete on the AHS water polo team who also plays at West Valley. “They feel more motivated to go to practices because they want to improve.”
“In club, it’s more about personal growth and how to improve your skills,” said Leann Wang (11) who plays basketball on the school team and with the Team United Basketball Club. “Since my club coach also coaches my team, he knows me as a player and we can focus on personal growth and put that into the team in the next season.”
“Club sports are also more diverse,” said Sahana Pandian (11), a volleyball player on the school team and at Union Volleyball Academy. “You get to compete with teams in different states, rather than only participating with teams in your own district.”
From a young age, Bettie Huang (11) has played badminton at the Bay Badminton Center, and now is on the school team as well. “You get to know a lot of different people in club and be inspired by them.”
However, such clubs are often inaccessible to many students. “When I tried to push American players to join water polo club, some students could not because it was too expensive,” said Coach Shaan. “Particularly with water polo, there’s a smaller group of people that can access clubs because of the expenses. I’m glad that high school sports exist because it gives more people a chance to try the sport [regardless of what they can afford].”
According to Hailey Olalia (11), a school team swimmer who swims at California Dolphin Swim, “It’s hard for some club athletes to have a bad practice or a bad meet because there are higher expectations for them, because if you don’t hit the above and beyond, you’ve almost wasted your time.”
“Even so,” said Olalia, “club swimming was a stress reliever for me because of its intensity; I think that it helped build a mental endurance for myself to push my body further.”
Wang and her club basketball teammates pose after a game. “Sometimes with club sports, you get a lot closer than in a team because you have more time on your hands and you can hang out with them after practice,” she said (Photo Credit: Leann Wang (11)).
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