Emma Sourisa

Will men’s Volleyball be coming to Centennial? With new rules set by OSAA, Men’s Volleyball is officially approved as the next High School sport for the 2024 season. This has many implications for Centennial students. Many students want Men’s Volleyball at Centennial, but haven’t been able to play on an actual team.
Up until now, these athletes have been playing under a club with a non-paid coach. They have also been forced to practice in early mornings before school in the gym, due to other sport’s practices taking priority. Players are being asked to wake up at 5:30 for practice, which has caused numerous people to complain about sleep quality and energy dropping significantly. Doctors around the world agree good sleep is vital for basic functioning, competing and learning.
After practice, most either don’t have time, or don’t have a ride to go home and shower, which forces them to use school showers located in the locker room. The problem with that is the locker room doors are historically unreliable and aren’t opened until 10 minutes before class, so most don’t even bother, instead choosing to use their limited time to change out of their workout clothes.
Understandably, many are unhappy about these conditions. Senior setter, Chance Orterry said, “It definitely makes my day a little harder because I have a pretty long commute, so I have to wake up at 5 am to get here. It definitely makes me noticeably more exhausted throughout the day.”
Additionally, most will agree that sports can be an extremely important part of a young person’s life. It’s where you meet friends, where you learn important life lessons, and can overall be the most fun experience of one’s High School adventure. Having your own school not even acknowledge that the team you play on exists is very diminishing according to some players. One player said, “Especially in the springtime, we’ll reserve the gym, but it will start raining and Tennis will come kick us out because they have priority.”
Despite all of this, Men’s Volleyball has amassed an incredibly supportive community. Over 30 members are signed up, which is more players than a lot of other programs around Centennial. And yet, Men’s Volleyball may still be doomed for another year without any recognition.
CHS has a school policy that states there has to be an equal number of Men’s and Women’s sports. So what would be added along with Men’s Volleyball? There was talk earlier for a Women’s flag football team. However, with only moderate interest or support amassed so far there isn’t an overwhelming incentive for the school. The school’s official claim is that there just isn’t enough money to add two more teams, and so far have not made any attempts to organize fundraisers and take advantage of the massive student support. So unfortunately, students are still holding their breath about whether Men’s Volleyball will have to wait for another year or not.