Annual athlete turnover a trend in ULV sports

by Julie Kim
Staff Writer

The climactic, last-minute wins. The endless practice sessions. The life-long friendships. The physical exhaustion.

For most college athletes, the positive factors of being part of a sports team far outweigh the fatigue and extra work that come with the territory. Most of them understand that sports can be an all-encompassing lifestyle.

But every year, some University of La Verne athletes drop out of their respective teams for a variety of reasons.

Despite the turnovers, the majority of coaches and student athletes who were interviewed agreed that it is completely normal for players to leave.

“Kids quit football and basketball and drop out of classes they don’t like,” said head football coach Don Morel, who admits to losing about 10 percent of his players each season. “Anytime there’s a substantial responsibility, that’s a given.”

The main reason former athletes gave for giving up sports was busy schedules.

Jennice Russi, a sophomore liberal studies major, quit the softball team before the regular season started this year.

“I had a conflict with my work and school schedules,” said the full-time student who also has two on-campus jobs.

Fellow softball player Brandi Thompson, a senior psychology major, also had problems with her workload. Working 30 hours and taking 13 units was too demanding, she said.

“Even now, I miss softball,” she said. “A lot of my friends are on the team.”

Many athletes juggle multiple responsibilities with classes, extracurricular activities and jobs.

Athletic director Chris Ragsdale said about 70 percent of student athletes work, 20 percent play more than one sport and 15 percent participate in other campus organizations.

Additionally, it is difficult for players because sports are “physically and mentally challenging,” Morel said.

Joshua Turner, a sophomore criminology major, gave up his free safety position on the football team after one season because of sheer exhaustion.

“When I first joined the team, I started five games and never sat out practices,” he said. “But I was getting hurt, strains, sprains and tendonitis.”

Nate Mendoza, a junior movement and sports science major, had thought about abandoning football before.

“I was a freshman and it was pretty brutal,” he said. “But I never quit anything in my life.”

Mendoza pointed out that the transition from high school athletics to college sports is a tough change for beginning college students such as Turner.

Morel agreed: “It’s not like high school where you’re playing with people your age. In college, you might be 19 years old and have to play with other players who are in their mid-20s.”

In addition to time constraints, about six people quit the men’s swimming team this season due to illnesses, family commitments and disciplinary problems, head coach John Hallman said.

“Some people were in it for the wrong reasons this year,” he said.

Ragsdale added that student athletes are still students and have the right to have other interests.

But for former athlete Kourtney Tomlinson, a junior liberal studies major, her love for softball never wavered. She is currently taking a temporary leave from playing second base because her mother was diagnosed with cancer.

“Other priorities become important to them… and I completely understand,” Morel said. “It (leaving) affects them more than it affects me.”

Still, some students quit because of difficult relationships with coaches.

Morel thought it wasn’t a major problem: “Every time a well-known athlete quits, there’s a lot of attention on the subject. But really, it’s an overblown thing.”

Nate Chabolla, a senior business major, left soon after the original soccer coach, Shayon Jalayer, got a new coaching job at California Baptist University.

After Jalayer left, “I felt like my skills were going down,” said the midfielder. He was dissatisfied with the coaching he subsequently received.

But Crescencio Gonzalez, current head soccer coach, said: “Last year, we finished fifth – the highest ranking in about ten years.” All the current starters will be returning next year, he added.

Bianca Vega, a sophomore criminology major and former cross country runner, and Cecilia Covarrubias, a senior design major and former softball player, similarly said they quit because of personality clashes with their respective coaches.

Meanwhile, Covarrubias’ teammate Tomlinson sang former head softball coach Julie Kline’s praises.

“I personally love Julie Kline,” Tomlinson said. But “people on any team will feel differently towards one another.”

Gonzalez agreed: “All of us are biased. One person can say they don’t like a professor, and 15 others will say they do.”

Victor Reynolds, a junior computer science major, added that team hostility also existed on his men’s basketball team but that”most people quit because of financial aid and it’s tough getting playing time.”

“There are many reasons why athletes elect to opt out,” Ragsdale said.”You can’t point to a single reason.”