In Aging Infrastructure Disadvantages Students, the Ubiquity revealed that our Wrestling team, along with other student-activities, is severely underfunded. This sparked more research into the subject, with the discovery that most sports at Quartz Hill lack the money necessary to run efficiently, specifically tennis, soccer, and track.

Students know that this school’s teams, no matter how popular the sport, are determined and hardworking. So, why does it seem as if some have more significance than others?

If one has a class in the Village, they have more than likely walked through the tennis courts at least once to get there. They may or may not have noticed the well-worn floors. “The courts desperately need to be resurfaced,” admits varsity tennis player Triveni Patel. Worn floors not only alter the game itself but also pose a threat to players, as they can cause them to slip. Although the sport has gotten more funding in recent years, Triveni says that they are still unable to afford everything they need.

What tennis doesn’t get from the school they try to make up for with fundraisers and similar activities. However, most of the money made is spent on uniforms and other necessary items for the players, leaving little room for other options or backup money.

Another difficulty with Quartz Hill athletics is the soccer team’s lack of transportation back to the school after games. This affects many players who either can’t get a ride home or back to the school, such as Christian Gonzalez and Daniel Hernandez, both varsity soccer players. They are seniors who, like many others, have their license and drive to school.

Since driving is their only transportation both to the school and their homes, the bus transportation has become an issue. This year, the funding for transportation was cut because bus prices increased. This has caused the school to offer only rides to their games, but not back to the school.

Daniel Hernandez and Christian Gonzalez both drive to school. But, they have to take the bus to games due to school regulations and can only drive themselves under certain circumstances. Unfortunately, it is not always easy for seniors to get back to their cars at the school when a game is over.

“In previous years, the bus was able to take us back. However, in the upcoming season, we were told that the bus would only be able to take us to the game,” said Hernandez. “It is difficult for me to get a ride from my parents all the time because they are working and can’t pick me up sometimes.”

The track team has also recently found it necessary to increase the number of fundraising activities. Rayen Strasser-King, a long time member of the track team, says that they began doing fundraisers earlier in the year in order to be able to cover the basic needs of the team.

It would seem that the school should be able to cover primary necessities, but this is sadly not the case. “There have been multiple instances where we’ve run out of our water supply at track meets,” Rayen explains.

Besides a dangerous lack in water supplies, the track team is not satisfied with their other equipment. Rayen and many track team members would like to see some changes and upgrades in this department as well, feeling as though their equipment is outdated and not up to par with what a Division One team should be using.

Discussing which sport gets the most funding, these two students both responded that football is Quartz Hill’s main focus. “I think most of the funding goes to sports that are more appealing to Americans, such as football and basketball,” claims Rayen. It is a valid point, as most students are well aware that the most popular team in the school, or any school for that matter, is the football team.

Does this, however, give the school the right to funnel the most money into them though? Is it truly fair that the more popular sports that get more media coverage and have higher turnout numbers at games get more funding? There is clearly a problem with the disproportionate funding going to each sport, and it seems all teams other than football are suffering because of it.