Non-Cut Sports: Do the Benefits Outweigh the Disadvantages?
Anya Gorovits & Diya Manikandan || STAFF WRITERS
Andover High School’s many non-cut sports have become increasingly popular, accepting students regardless of skill level or experience.
From track to e-sports, AHS offers countless options for students who have been cut from a different sport. This year, football, gymnastics, unified basketball, e-sports, wrestling, and all track sports are non-cut.
As we approach the spring sports season, AHS Athletic Director Wayne Puglisi urges students who have been cut from a team to join a non-cut sport. Around half of the students who are cut typically do this. Most choose track, an incredibly popular AHS sport. According to Puglisi it’s a team that’s easy for students to join.
“Students sort of naturally gravitate to [track]. They just want to do something that’s competitive and social and more individual than a team sport,” said Puglisi.
Other non-cut sports are also common options for students who’ve been cut. AHS wrestling coach Kelvin Davila encourages all students to join wrestling, no matter what sport they’re coming from.
Drawing more attention from students, these non-cut sports are growing rapidly. This year, the wrestling team is the biggest it’s ever been, at around 45 members. Winter track had more than 250 participants this year, and even more will join for the spring season.
However, there are disadvantages to a non-cut team. Puglisi says, the main disadvantage is that non-cut sports are usually a student’s second choice. Many non-cut sports are also not the best fit for all students. “When you have an option like wrestling, that takes a very unique individual to be able to do,” said Puglisi.
Davila agreed, saying that each year, some students leave the wrestling team mid-season because it isn’t the sport for them; they don’t feel the same connection they did to their old sport, or can’t adjust to the differences of this new one. Davila however, believes that wrestling should remain a non-cut sport, and is always happy when new students join. “There are more advantages than disadvantages to it being non-cut,” he said. That same sentiment was echoed by Track coach Peter Comeau, “That’s the secret ingredient to hav[ing] fourteen state championships: not cutting people.”
The track team has reached numbers above 300 in previous years which has caused a host of difficulties. Comeau is faced with numerous challenges as the growing indoor team must practice with restricted space and time.
Also, both Puglisi and the Track coaches have noticed students coming to practices without signing up, which can lead to disorganization. “What they do is they just assume it’s okay for them to start going and they go. What they need to do is make sure that they have everything taken care of,” Puglisi explained.
In high school, Comeau’s main sport was football, and track was a tool for keeping fit during football’s off-season. However, Comeau and his coaches soon realized his passion and talent for track. Comeau then switched his focus to track, leading him to a scholarship at Northeastern University. Now as a coach, he’s noticed that students often sign up for track to stay in shape for their main sport before discovering their hidden talent in track events.
