By: Nicole Shapiro ’18

Playing a high school sport comes with expected costs, like necessary gear and uniforms. Some Staples athletes, however, are at risk of not being able to play the sports they love because of potential rising costs. In addition to fees that are already implemented, due to budget cuts, there is speculation about new costs that athletes might have to ‘‘pay to play’’ to participate in athletics at Staples.
“We are not going to cut any sports due to the budget cuts, but I do believe we will be adding a fee per athlete per sport,” Marty Lisevick, Staples Athletic Director, said. “It is probably going to be somewhere around $100-125 per player.”
‘‘Pay to play’’ is an added on fee, not including the equipment, that each player has to pay if they want to play on that sports team. According to Forbes, a “pay to play” program ‘‘sends a clear message to everyone in the school district, a message opposite of that intended by community-supported public schools: opportunities are available only to those who can pay the fee.’’ However, many Staples students disagree with the decision.
‘‘I do not necessarily think that if the board of education implements this new ‘pay to play’ deal that kids will quit sports, especially in a town like Westport because most kids can afford it, and if not I am sure they can find a way for those kids to still pay,’’ Sofie Calderon ’18, former Staples field hockey and lacrosse player, said.
Students will not be banned from playing a sport if the new money requirement can not be met for a certain reason. ‘‘If there is a kid that can not pay the ‘pay to play’ next year, they can just come to me and we will find a way to pay for that like the booster club,’’ Lisevick said. ‘‘I don’t ever want to be in a situation where we have a kid that can not play a sport here at Staples because money is the situation; we will always figure it out.’’
But the cost of playing a Staples sport varies due to which sport it is. ‘‘Funding one sport more than another can vary dramatically,’’ Lisevick said. ‘‘For example the wrestling team are due for new mats for next year and that can be around $15,000 that can not be covered by budget the board of education gives us, so we get a lot of help from our various booster clubs.’’
Along with their $2,000 equipment, the Staples Hockey team is another sport that highly relies on their boosters and sponsors. The Staples hockey team is made up of students from not only Staples, but Shelton High School and Weston High School as well, and all of them have to take a bus everyday to and from school to the Mildford Ice Pavillion located in Mildford, Conneticut.
‘‘The board of ed pays for the hockey teams transportation, but paying for the time on the ice can be around $300 an hour and that high cost is covered through outside resources,’’ Lisevick said.
Along with the booster club, the hockey team raises money through many other ways to fund their necessities. ‘‘We get our money from sponsors in the roster book and having fundraisers at banquets and bake sales as well,’’ Sam New ’18, Staples hockey player, said.
‘‘What we get from the board of education doesn’t cover everything that is necessary,” Lisevick said, “so thank god for booster clubs because they have kept us afloat for the last many years.’’