School sports are a way for students to be a part of something bigger than themselves while showing off their individual athletic ability. If you asked most individuals in the United States, they would probably say that they’ve gone to a high school football game before, or at least supported their school sports in some way.

As the number of students in Oakmont’s class sizes decrease, they have made the decision to move down in the district’s athletic hierarchy. This step down takes them from a ‘Division 4’ school to a ‘Division 5’ school. Some speculate that the reasons behind the change are due to the football team not being able to keep up with their competitors. So far, it has not been confirmed nor denied. But, as the school officially renounced their D-4 status, a myriad of problems rose up.

The problem ruffling the most feathers currently is the new boys and girls forced coed integration for the Oakmont tennis team. Usually girls tennis is in the fall and boys tennis is in the spring, but with new athletic constraints, they will both be taking place in the spring semester. 

This causes many problems for female dual sport athletes, as it now stops them from being able to participate in track and field, swim, dive, and other spring sports. This new change not only affects the girls, but also the boys. The new setup on the team is now two boys singles, two girls singles, two boys doubles, two girls doubles, and one mixed doubles. This is a staggering difference from last year, where it was six boys singles, six girls singles, three boys doubles, and three girls doubles. The new setup not only discourages people from trying out in fear of being cut, but also harms people who were already on the team, as now they may not be able to get the spot they worked hard for over the years.

“I have very mixed emotions about it, because I think that in general it’s good for both sides to be able to interact with each other,” said Rafael Asunto, a senior at Oakmont High School. “But I also don’t like how it does take away some opportunities for newer players.”