Cost of Sports and Uniforms
This year as the fall season approached, student athletes were training or trying out for various sports teams. Athletes went through two major changes this year — the activity fee cost and the policy of wearing uniforms to school on game days. To set the record straight, Mr. Boyages agreed to talk to the WHS exPRESS. Mr.Boyages is in his third year serving as the Athletic Director at Wakefield High school and offered his input and knowledge regarding the uniform policy and activity fee cost of sports.
Wakefield High School had to make budget cuts this year, which caused the activity fees of sports to rise $60.00. Last year, the fee was $200.00 and this year it was raised to $260.00. Mr. Boyages explained that “the activity fees don’t usually go up annually, but because of the budget cuts throughout the school, the fees had to be raised. The activity fee covers expenses such as uniforms, busses, equipment, and officials. The only aspect that the fee doesn’t cover is the salary or funding of the coaches’.
Wakefield High School is almost right in the middle when it comes to comparing activity fee costs to surrounding Middlesex League schools. Found on the athletic page of their school website, Reading High School’s activity fee is $85.00 per athlete, but the maximum for an athlete to pay for a sport is $220.00 and $440.00 for a family. According to the Lexington High School website, Lexington High school charges $300.00 for the first two sports, and if you play a third sport, you do not have to pay another fee. The activity fees that athletes pay at Wakefield High could be higher, and they are in the middle compared to surrounding schools in the Middlesex League.
Along with the user fees, the WHS ExPRESS caught up with Mr. Boyages on the policy of wearing uniforms to school. Athletes have been debating whether or not they are allowed as a team to wear their uniforms to school on game days. In high school, rumors spread fast, and a lot of rumors have spread about which teams could wear their uniforms and what day they could wear them. When asked about this uniform policy, Mr. Boyages responded by saying there is “no real policy.” He continued his explanation by suggesting that teams shouldn’t wear their uniform every day, and should generally dress up on a game day. He also mentioned that there is no problem with wearing the uniform, but he would rather have teams wear them on only “important games” such as the first game, last game, or some sort of a championship game.
Who knows? If the budget situation improves by the end of the year, we could look forward for the activity fees to decrease. Until then, keep in mind that our fees aren’t the worst in Middlesex and as students, we could be paying more money for each activity. If you are still confused about what to wear on game day consult your coach or teammates.
