Students find sports they love outside Leechburg
by Bre Stephens, Sports Page Editor
May 18, 2011
One of the disadvantages of attending a small school is the lack of sports. Leechburg offers football, baseball, softball, basketball, volleyball and golf, but some students desire to play other sports. To solve their problem, these students look throughout the Valley to play the sports they love.
So where do these students get the idea to play for another team? Junior Jeremiah Rowe has been playing hockey for Ford City for three years. When he played amateur hockey for the Pittsburgh Vipers, one of his teammates played for Ford City and recommended that he should play too.
Junior Cody Reeseman also made the transition from amateur hockey to Ford City hockey with Rowe. Following in her older brother’s footsteps, eighth-grader Miranda Reeseman decided to play hockey for Ford City as well. “My parents and I debated for a long time to play for Ford City high school, find a good girls team, or play amateur hockey,” Miranda Reeseman said. “I think we decided it would be easiest to play high school like my brother.”
Junior Ben Kalmar turned to Kiski to play soccer. Kalmar, who has been playing soccer for 11 years, chose to play for Kiski since it was one of the only schools around with a soccer program.
Sophomore Maddy Waltenbaugh, who has swam for Valley and Kiski’s Calvalier Swim Club, said she started swimming because her mom thought she had too much energy. Waltenbaugh did not swim for any team this school year but spent six years swimming for Valley and two years swimming for CSC.
Sophomore Jessica Pastva decided to play Burrell Predator softball instead of playing softball for Leechburg. “Burrell has a very good organization,” Pastva said. “I knew I would get more experience playing with a different team.” Pastva also started on the Leechburg varsity team as a sophomore.
Although these students are getting the opportunity to play the sport they want to, they have to pay a pretty big price to do so. The cost to play for another school averages around $1,000. With that amount plus the cost of equipment, playing a sport can become pretty pricey. However, Rowe, Kalmar and Waltenbaugh all said they were willing to pay anything just to play.
But playing for a different team can also cause student to experience trouble being completely accepted by the team. Kalmar said he was accepted by his teammates but not by his coach. Waltenbaugh said that swimming for another school was harder and that some people were very judgmental.
Although having teammates from another school may be difficult at times, great bonds can also be formed. “It always seems a little different when playing for another school because you don’t seem as close as you would be if you went to the same school,” Reeseman said, “but I met a lot of new people from a variety of schools to play hockey with. At the end of the day I am still very close to my team even though we don’t all go to the same school.” Players from Riverview, West Shamokin, Punxsutawney, and Leechburg participate on Ford City’s hockey team, Reeseman said.
While the cost is high, and acceptance comes at a price, none of Leechburg’s athletes said they were unhappy on their current teams. Junior Cody Reeseman said, “I wouldn’t play for another team if I had the opportunity to stay at Ford City.”
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