Marian High School supports nine sports. To provide for these sports a budget of $21,000 was used for the 1996-97 school year. Different sports require different amounts of money. The money is divided at the discretion of Mr. Jim Miller, Athletic Director, and Miss Elizabeth Kish, Head of School. Miss Kish said, "When deciding which sport receives how much money, you need to take into account the coaches' pay, equipment used, rental of facilities, transportation, length of season, and many other factors."
The budgeted figure does not include the cost of weight room equipment, coachesU professional organizations, sports clinics, soccer field maintenance, and first aid supplies. The budget varies from year to year but usually does not exceed a standard 3 percent increase each year. Exceptions to this increase included times when new teams are added, or when new uniforms need to be purchased.
Some people who participate in sports feel this is a good system. "I think cross country is well provided for," said junior Annie Grace. Other sports like track, volleyball, basketball and soccer have not had players complaining of lack of money. Golf Coach, Miss Faye Ford agreed. "The budget is more than adequate."
Other athletes do not feel the same way. A tennis playerUs mom went out and requested a donation from a sporting goods store. They generously gave two boxes of tennis balls for the Varsity Tennis team to supplement what the school provided.
Coaches and their players have not seen eye to eye. The Varsity Tennis Coach, Mrs. Kerri Betts said, "I am satisfied with the leeway that we have gotten from Mr. Miller, we now have what we need. Tennis players do not have a full uniform. They buy their own shirts and skirts and have warm-ups provided by the school." Varsity player, junior Cathy Lang said, "It would be nice if Marian would provide a uniform that is personalized towards the team members and one that portrays a professional look."
Coaches and players' parents have often taken it upon themselves to help the teams. Junior Varsity Tennis was in need of more indoor court time due to the weather. A grandfather of a player donated $300 to the tennis team to help out with this expense. In the case of swimming, the parents are said to do more than the school. It is the parents who hang up signs in the hallway and decorate the swimmers' lockers. The parents also bought state towels for the swim team. Through donations, the swim team has purchased items used in training, thus contributing to their success. The budget is utilized to pay for the renting of the pool at the College of St. Mary's.
Some athletes feel completely dissatisfied with the support from the school towards their sport. "We did not receive much attention even with the softball teamUs third place win at State," said junior Maggie Flynn. Junior swimmer Maggie Davis agrees that the support is not a strong one. "Up until we began winning meets and State, we as haven't had much recognition. Even though we won State, we didn't even have as much acknowledgment as the basketball team."
What about the sideline cheer squads at volleyball and basketball games? Or the Pom Squad that performs at half-time during the Varsity basketball games? Each group can manage to pay up to $500 or more per person through the entire year. Cheerleading and Pom Squad are not included in the sports budget. The only thing that Marian provides is the minimal pay for the moderator. "Money wise, these activities are not a priority," said Miss Kish.
"It seems like Varsity basketball gets all they want," said senior Trish O'Doherty. The Varsity basketball team received new warm-ups this year. The team also went to Garden City, Kansas for a tournament. They rode down in a bus and spent four days and three nights there. If a parent attended they had to pay for a ride down, yet each player went free of charge.
"The school's budget is used to make the sport possible and pay for necessities. The donations taken by coaches just make the sport better," said Miss Kish. It is difficult to make everyone happy. Yet, when priorities change from need to want, a line should be drawn. There are sports that may not be highly supported and not very popular, but each need should be addressed. Softball Coach Mrs. Mary Kassmeier said, "Softball is not a sport that brings in much revenue because that is the way things are set up, but I think the girls deserve equal treatment."