Are Club Sports Worth It?

Every year, a significant number of Deerfield students participate in club sports, competitive youth sports leagues that require fees and are unaffiliated with schools. Cate Shanahan ’23 is a two-time volleyball NEPSAC champion and played on the Amatuer Athletic Union’s 2022 U18 National winning volleyball team. Ben Cook ’24, hockey player for the nationally ranked Boston Junior Bruins and starter for boys’ varsity hockey, also participates in club sports while at Deerfield.

Club athletes at Deerfield experiences are affected both by their involvement in club sports and the large amounts of time they spend traveling. Shanahan flies to Indiana every weekend, spending two hours in a car ride to Boston, three hours on a flight to Indiana, and an hour driving to the hotel she stays in. On most weekends in the fall term, Cook also makes a two-hour commute each way to just outside of Marlborough, Massachusetts. This time commitment often forces students to choose between Deerfield and their club sport. In the past year, Shanahan needed to choose between her club team and the A Boogie concert in February 2022, and, in another case, the Girls’ Varsity Basketball team. In both cases she prioritized her club team, as she believes that “a tournament is a commitment for [her] and a show of devotion and commitment to the team.” On the other hand, Cook said,“It is hard if your team is not doing well because you think you are not getting the exposure to schools that you want to be getting.”

Both athletes expressed a feeling of disconnect between their time with club teams and their time at Deerfield. Cook described it as having two different lives; one at Deerfield and one with his hockey team at home. Shanahan said, “It has definitely made me appreciate Deerfield on school days, because even though I have homework, I still manage to see my friends and indulge in the best parts of Deerfield.”

Playing a club sport can be challenging, but there are also many benefits. Not only do club sports players have the opportunity to play their sports outside of their regular season, but they also connect with people outside of their school. Cook describes some of his favorite aspects of club hockey as being able to “get off campus and have a different environment,” and “broadening your network of people you know and [creating] a diverse variety of relationships,” he said. Shanahan appreciates “getting to improve not just in the fall [season], but all year long,” and “being able to have this great education… and also getting to be on an amazing team.” She doesn’t regret her decision to dedicate so much time to her sport, saying, “If you are really passionate about your sport, you will devote anything to it.”

Though club athletes end up missing out on some Deerfield experiences, they have the opportunity to form out-of-school friendships and compete on nationally ranked teams — experiences that are well worth missing a couple of weekends on campus.