PREPNET / SPEAK OUT

If you could make one change about sports at your school, what would it be?

COURTNEY TUGGLE

Ocean View, Softball

It’s important to have a really good coach, especially for Ocean View, because we’ve had four coaches in three years. I’m very happy with the coach we have now [Kathy Ponce], but she’s not the coach we began the season with. I wish players had more say-so in selecting the coach, especially if the school is going to hire walk-on coaches. Players are smart enough to determine who is going to do a good coaching job. It’s not like we don’t have a clue. We can tell who knows the game and who doesn’t.

BRANDON DOTTS

Fountain Valley, Water Polo/Swimming

The biggest problem with sports at every high school is treating each sport fairly. Football and baseball get many privileges that no other sports do. Recently, a weight training room was built at our school. Aquatics put many hours of work and a lot of money into it. Once it was built, only football and baseball were allowed to use it. Other sports are forced to use an outside weight room that is deteriorated. For football, there were at least three [pep] assemblies. For [many] other sports, not even one.

AUDRA ADAMS

Newport Harbor, Tennis

I wish our matches were played later in the day, so I wouldn’t have to miss my last class. Missing so much class time during the season dropped my English grade last semester. Maybe one way to solve it would be having two home periods. I guess there could be better coordination between academics and athletics.

AMANDA FLESKOSKI

Mission Viejo, Track and Field

I would have to update the girls’ weight-lifting facility because strength is a very important aspect in all athletic activity. Strength not only improves capability, it also prevents injury.

CORTNEY STAFFORD

Katella, Basketball/Track

A lot of the [female] athletes at my school don’t even care if they win or lose, they just want that one letter saying they’ve played at a varsity level. I think that is really unfair to those who work hard and deserve to be on the team. They are just taking up space. I would [also] change how teams are selected. I dread the season because I wonder who the coach is going to pick--if he’s going to pick people on ability, experience, or because they are tall, have been in the program and they are seniors.

TREVOR AUSTIN

Hayward/Former wrestler and referee

No longer being affiliated with a particular high school, the one change I would make in general would be requiring coaches to pass a program related to coaching youths in sports. Then allowing only certified coaches to be on the payrolls of our local schools.

NEXT QUESTION

Should schools--public and private--be allowed to institute mandatory drug testing for high school athletes?