Article By: Emma Schneider
The distribution of money for Watauga High School’s Athletic Program is a topic not often discussed. Once interviewing Dustin Kerley, the Athletic Director at Watauga High School, it proved that what students “know” about the distribution of money at the school is very inaccurate. The money earned from Athletic passes is pooled together in an account used for the Booster Club to expend when needed. Same goes for the ticket booths at all games, except it is added together in an account used for all sports. The $6.00- $5.00 spent to enter a game goes to an account used for all sports. They use this money for the needs of all sports, not only equipment but gate workers, PA announcers and clock workers. Coach Kerley says, “If it’s a year where we do really well on gates, we may be able to fund all of our needs first and then go out and get some things that our programs want in addition to what they need. Or if it’s a year where our gates are a little down we might only be able to fund the needs as opposed to the wants”. According to the Conference bylaws, football and basketball must be $6.00 each ticket. Taking advantage of the crowds for both of those sports brings in a good amount of money. And for soccer, swim, lacrosse, volleyball, and softball the entry fee is $5.00. All sports are also able to fundraise for their team at any time. This can be a very beneficial way to gain money and to provide for a sport. The total amount of money being brought in overtime is very useful to fulfil, at least, the needs of all the sports at Watauga. Although the money is dispersed whenever any sport needs it, junior Emma Brown feels it favors football more. She says, “I thought it would go more towards football. It seems like that’s all they care about. I mean, you look at the football facility and their locker room and their uniforms and everything, and you can tell they put a lot of money into them”. Football is a very valued sport here at Watauga and the United States, it is filled with fun times, tailgating and intense crowds. This American heritage gives our school a very good reputation by our football team making it to the second round of playoffs in 2017-18. By having the biggest turnouts at games they make a lot of money at the ticket booths. This provides a lot of money for all the team’s needs and wants at Watauga, however, this “equal” disbursement of money might be inaccurate according to Emma Brown. Kerley says, “I hope that you or anyone else would know that when I look at the disbursement of funds to each team/program I make an effort to do this in the most equitable manner possible.” This unbiased mindset of even disbursement allows all teams to succeed. Even though the student’s knowledge about Watauga High School’s athletic program and how they distribute money is somewhat inaccurate, with the right information some still believe football is the “favored sport.” Though some students feel this way, it is up to the Athletic Department to decide where to go from here.
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Article By: Grace Jeter & Nichole Johnson
The famous Avery v. Watauga rivalry has come to an end this year. On August 31st, 2018 Watauga was face to face with their final showdown against Avery. This is due to Avery no longer wanting to continue this yearly match up. In the coming seasons Watauga will be forced to schedule other opponents. Next year Watauga will take on Pfafftown Reagan in place of Avery. To show our rivalry against Avery, whenever there was an Avery game we always dressed up in camo. In return, Avery always dressed up in tie-dye. When Watauga takes on Pfafftown next year, the traditional pep rally and camo day will not take place. While this is upsetting to some students, others realize that it also opens up the possibility for Watauga to form a new rivalry and tradition. When asked how they felt knowing that this would be the final game against Avery, Sebastian Best said, “It was definitely surreal. Playing your rivals of over 50 years for the last time is pretty crazy.” Most of the football players can agree that being a part of the final team to play Avery was a big title to uphold, and that the game was very “surreal.” When asked if they would do anything differently if they were able to play Avery one more time, Sam Sappington replied with, “I think that if we could play Avery one more time, I would relish the moment a bit more. I would take the time to soak it all in, not just as the last time that Watauga played Avery, but the last time that I and my team played Avery. Those are two very different feelings and I wish that I had embraced that a little more.” In the end, Watauga defeated Avery for the final time with the ending score of fifty-eight to seven; as a result, Watauga was able to keep “the golden bucket.” “The golden bucket” was yet another tradition that Watauga and Avery both kept alive. This tradition involved a golden bucket, and whoever won the game was allowed to keep the bucket until their next game. To stand as a symbol for their final win against Avery, Watauga was able to keep the bucket. In the end, Watauga football players and fans will greatly miss the rivalry between the two schools. As seen above, it is easy to recognize how much the players will feel like a part is missing next year and in the years to come when they do not compete against Avery. They talk about wanting to savor the moment a little longer and taking it more seriously. Hopefully in the future, when they play against other rival schools, they will start to discover the thirst for more competition just like they had for Avery. The fun tradition and rivalry against Avery will be missed, but never forgotten. |