School-organized sports are a central part of any schools’ culture. However, many athletes have been involved in sports long before high school. These athletes sometimes alternate between high school and club seasons, switch to only play for their high school teams, or simply continue playing for their private club team.
Although performing for club sports has numerous unique opportunities, it also doesn’t have the same benefits as school-affiliated sports. One of these drawbacks is the lack of press and awareness of all the talented and dedicated athletes who practice outside of school sports.
Senior Ryanna Miles has been dancing since she was a toddler. Entering competitive dance at the age of eight, six years after she started dancing, Miles quickly fell in love with the competition. Although she had been immersed in many different sports, dance was the one Miles excelled at.
“When I was younger, I tried everything. I tried soccer, I tried basketball, I think I tried track or cross country,” Miles said. “I tried all of those things, and I just ended up being the best at dance. So I stuck with it because it’s the one that I connected with the most.”
Even though she felt a deep connection with dance, she still struggled with the intensity of the sport.
“It was very hard taking constructive criticism at first, especially at such a young age,” Miles said. “Hearing a panel of judges tell you what you’re doing wrong can be really hard. But my mom always told me you have to take it, internalize it, and work on [it], because in reality, they’re trying to help you.”
That mentality has really hit home for Miles in the past few years.
“The intention of the judges is to help you improve,” Miles said. “Once you realize that, you can really work on the corrections they give you and not take them to heart.”
Along with helping Miles keep her spirit high during the long months of training and long-awaited performances, her mother also acts as her personal student section.
“There have been times where I don’t score as high as I want to or I don’t place, and she’s my biggest cheerleader. She comes to all the competitions and when I come on stage, I can hear her screaming my name louder than anybody else,” Miles said. “She’s definitely been my biggest supporter.”
Miles hopes to continue her dance career in college. While she’s planning on majoring in psychology, she also wants to minor in dance or join a studio club.
Junior Pablo Lopez has been following in his father’s footsteps since he was five, especially in regards to soccer.
“My dad played soccer, so I just took off [after him],” Lopez said.
Lopez currently plays for Midwest United, a soccer club aimed at coaching aspiring professional athletes. He loves the community he’s found, and enjoys playing with them even more.
“They’re good people. They’re nice,” Lopez said. “I feel accepted and it just feels good.”
Reffered to by a friend, this is Lopez’s first year playing for Midwest. He appreciates the opportunities he has at a high-achieving club.
“[Club] is more intense. It’s a higher level, [and] you play better teams,” Lopez said. “You get more for scouting.”
Lopez plans on playing competitively in college, although he’s still deciding the specifics.
Madden performs at a dance competition. She’s been dancing competitively for more than 10 years. Photo courtesy of Madison Madden.
Having been a part of dancing since she was three, senior Madison Madden knows it’s still helpful for her to focus on the basics. Practicing six to seven days a week, she still takes the time to help teach the younger kids and applies those skills to her own technique.
“They’re so cute [when you’re] trying to teach them the basics. It’s bad, but sometimes it’s funny to watch.” said Madden. “It’s just fun to see, and it’s a learning experience for you to go back to the basics and [focus on what] you take for granted.”
Spending time with the younger dancers also encourages her to reflect on her own youth and current life. Although Madden doesn’t regret her choices, she clearly sees the alternative path she could’ve chosen.
“When you get older, [dance] takes up all your time. You have to choose,” Madden said. “When you’re younger, it can be more for the social aspect. As you get older, you realize you have to really want this, and so you have that group who just wants to be there, and just wants to be dancing.”
Madden appreciates the sense of community that the group has in their devotion to dance and knows that’s one of the benefits of doing a club sport.
“At school, [everyone has] different sports, but at dance, there’s always something to talk about because you know everyone [and] everything’s centralized and you can talk about the same things,” Madden said. “There’s that one topic and there are so many branches that you can talk off of.”
Madden is attending Grand Valley University to major in dance and continue teaching the sport she loves.
Not having a men’s volleyball team at Northview hasn’t stopped junior Austin Kunter from finding ways to play the sport he loves. In fact, it’s only encouraged him to start a team of his own.
Kunter grew up playing volleyball with his sisters. However, lack of a men’s team in the area restrained him to only playing during the summer at camps and workshops. Nevertheless, his feelings toward the sport only increased over time.
“Growing up with [volleyball] developed my love for it, and the fact that I wasn’t able to play it for so long and then now I’m actually able to play it, it’s amazing,” Kunter said.
After finally finding a club to play at, Kunter is in the middle of his first official volleyball season. Playing for a private organization reminds him of his favorite parts of volleyball.
“I love how it’s fast-paced, and I like the concept of keeping the ball up,” Kunter said. “I’ve always been drawn to it for some reason.”
A taste of the club environment has inspired him to create one of his own. Teaming up with one of his friends from club, Hunter Lincoln, Kunter is working on creating a men’s volleyball team at the high school.
“I have somebody on my club team that goes to [Catholic Central], and he’s going to advertise it there and I’m going to [advertise] here,” Kunter said. “I’ve also been working with [Athletic Director Patrick Marsmen] and [Nicole] Mulheisen.”
Although more than excited to start, Kunter has the timing planned out.
“I’m waiting until after Mandex is over,” Kunter said. “I’m going to use Mandex to scope out people and advertise it there. It’s a perfect opportunity.”
Kunter plans on developing his club team for the remainder of his time at high school. After that, he hopes to play for a league in college.
Every athlete pushes themselves through discomfort for their sport, but club athletes have an undeniable dedication to work hard with a season that never truly ends. Each has something extra that drives them to search for greatness, whether in their athletic career or personal life.
