“You are all suspended from playing for the entire season.” My coach’s words rang through my ears. 

Although I have been playing soccer since I was four years old, Palo Alto High School’s team holds a special place in my heart because it is a key experience that has allowed me to represent my school, given me new insight into soccer and let me play with different people. That is why being suspended from playing for the entire season was so despairing.

Eight players and I were suspended from this season because we violated section 10 of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League Soccer By-Laws i, which states that winter athletes must stop participation in their outside-of-school sports within a time frame starting from the beginning of Thanksgiving to the end of the high school season. Originally, I decided not to attend the Girls Academy Winter Showcase in Phoenix with my club team since I had been aware that going to this tournament would be a breach of the SCVAL soccer By-Laws, thus disqualifying me from participation in my high school soccer season. However, with encouragement from my club coaches, I made the last minute decision to go, in hopes of getting seen by college coaches. However, after the tournament, I received news from my high school coach that I would be suspended and ineligible to play for the entire season because I went to the tournament. I was devastated.

The rule, which denied me and eight other players of their high school soccer season, comes into conflict with the best interest of players like me. I have imagined and dreamed of myself playing soccer in college for years. So why do I have to choose between a future college soccer career and playing my high school season? There were hundreds of college scouts at the showcase; it was an opportunity for my teammates and me to get noticed by coaches and start the recruiting process. Such opportunities are rare — this showcase only happens once a year.

Furthermore, Paly’s league is one of the only high school leagues in the area that has this rule, meaning that other high school teams in the area get to participate in club events with no consequences. In my case, the only people that were punished for attending the winter showcase on my club team were those who were on the Paly soccer team. 

This rule — while well-intended — takes away from supporting the athletic careers of high school players. In future years, the league should be more accommodating for athletes playing club sports as well as high school sports. Currently, many of us have to decide whether we want to  try and  get recruited into a college sports program or play in high school. Why can’t we have both?