Study shows AZ has low HS athlete participation

Nov. 30—The COVID-19 pandemic is now a not-so-distant memory, but a thing of the past, nonetheless.

Still, it continues to affect everyday life in multiple facets of high school athletics. Participation rates have not yet fully recovered to pre-pandemic numbers. There's no question there's been improvement.

But according to one study, Arizona is still seeing significantly lower rates. So low, in fact, that only about 25% of high school students participate in some sort of athletic program on campus. That's the fourth-lowest rate in the nation.

"It doesn't shock me at all," Mesa High School Athletic Director David Klecka said. "I've always thought about that because, when I was in high school, representing your high school team athletically was the thing to do. Fast forward to 2023-2024, especially in Arizona, kids have more to do. Social media, video games, jobs. Kids are making more money hourly at 15."

A study conducted by LendingTree found that roughly 6 million high school students played sports during the 2022-23 school year. That figure showed to be an increase from the year prior, but still lower than pre-pandemic levels.

LendingTree used data gathered from a survey of 648 parents with high school students younger than 18. The parents were asked how many children in their household participated in team sports through their respective high school and how many teams they joined.

The survey results showed students participate in roughly 1.31 sports per year, or about 3 in every 10 play more than one a year. LendingTree's data showed a 3.1% increase this year from last. It also showed that track & field has the highest level of participation.

Maine had the highest overall participation level among students with 62.1% of them competing. Nevada had the lowest participation rate at just 19.4%. Arizona wasn't much better with just 25.1% of students participating, with 28% of the boys' population participating and only 21% of girls.

"It doesn't surprise me, that's probably about an average," Perry Athletic Director Jennifer Burks said. "If you were to poll particular schools, I think the percentage would be higher."

Burks and Klecka both said they have taken initiative on campus to promote extracurricular activities among students. Klecka said he credits his coaches for doing most of the work, promoting and selling their respective programs to students with even a mild interest in participating.

Burks said the Perry student body does a good job of that themselves. Many students within the community — roughly a third of students according to Burks — participate in athletics or another form of activity. That is standard among other Chandler Unified schools, which has a rich history of top-notch athletic programs.

"It starts in our P.E. department," Burks said. "They do a great job reaching our freshmen and they'll do a unit in the class based on what sport is about to start. So they'll do a tennis lesson a few weeks before the season starts."

Some kids, such as those at Perry, simply want to represent their school. Others, however, may see sports in a different light as Mountain Pointe Athletic Director Aaron Frana suggested.

For some of his students, it may be a way to escape difficult situations.

"This is a way for them to maybe think they can better their lives if they can move on to college," Frana said. "I hear that quite often from kids talking in the hallway. They want to make it to the next level to help better their family."

Many students at Mountain Pointe commute from south Phoenix, where opportunities may not be as plentiful as those who are from the Ahwatukee area. Sports are a way out for many kids. Sometimes they think of it as their full-time job.

Frana was more surprised than Klecka and Burks to hear that only 25% of students participate in a sport in Arizona. Mountain Pointe is well over a 50% participation rate, he said.

They promote extracurricular activities at Mountain Pointe. Between Frana, Principal Tomika Banks and upward to the district level with Athletic Director Dave Huffine, they aim to as many students as possible take advantage of the opportunity to play a sport, whether it be cut or not.

Frana said over 100 kids tried out for basketball this year. More than 80 tried out for the girls' volleyball team.

"We have high participation at Mountain Pointe," Frana said. "We do a good job of promoting athletics. We always tell them to be involved, because the more they're involved the better they'll be as students."

Like Frana, Eastmark Athletic Director Kraig Leuschner was caught off guard by LendingTree's findings for Arizona. He's helped navigate the Firebirds athletics programs through exponential growth, most notably due to the expanding community surrounding Eastmark.

"That's a shockingly low number based on my experience working in 3A and 4A," Leuschner said. "The percentage of students participating is much higher than that when you have a smaller student body. We were somewhere around 52 to 53% of all students participating in a sport."

Where the school differs from most though is it also houses junior high sports. Leuschner says that helps with continuity and ever-growing participation rates. Students have the chance to begin in junior high and work their way up through high school.

He said to make that happen, the lower-level coaches end up being just as important as those at the varsity level.

"Our junior high students have to have a tremendous experience in eighth grade to want to continue at Eastmark," Leuschner said. "If you look at our programs, the second or third most important person in your program is the lower-level coach. They help us retain those kids."

All athletic directors hope to continue seeing a rise in participation among its student body when it comes to athletics. They see the difference it can make on a student's happiness and overall feeling of belonging at times.

LendingTree showed there's been steady growth overall in sports participation, especially since the pandemic. But there's still room for improvement.

"I always challenge the kids when I meet with the freshmen, whether it be a sport, a club or an activity, do something," Klecka said. "Do not go home when the bell rings. We need to get back to representing your school and getting involved."

Have an interesting story? Contact Zach Alvira at (480)898-5630 or zalvira@timespublications.com. Follow him on Twitter @ZachAlvira.