High school co-op teams are not new in Rhode Island. Co-cops have existed since as early as the 1940s. In recent years, there have been a lot more co-op teams in Rhode Island. A co-op is when a high school sports team does not have enough players to field a team, they will merge with another school that does not have enough players either, to create a full team. But are co-ops the best option for high school sports?
There are a lot of reasons why co-ops are the best options for high school sports. A big pro is that co-ops allow athletes to participate in sports that they would not be able to without a co-op. Certain high school sports rely on co-ops, such as girls and boys hockey; some sports like field hockey, swim and softball have more and more co-ops every year. Toll Gate has 5 teams that are co-ops. Some of these include Kent County Softball (Toll Gate and West Warwick), EGTG Boys Hockey, (Toll Gate and East Greenwich) and TRP Storm Girls Hockey (Toll Gate, Pilgrim, West Warwick and La Salle).
Another reason why co-ops are good is they allow schools that did not previously provide certain sports to now have teams. For example, before Prout co-oped with Chariho for field hockey, Prout never had a field hockey team. From a players perspective it provides the opportunity for athletes to continue to play a sport they have played for years. Another pro is that Co-ops allows athletes and students to meet people outside of their school and they create a sense of community across multiple schools. Co-ops can help athletes create new friendships and learn from other people. From a players perspective it provides the opportunity for athletes to continue to play a sport they have played for years. When asked for her opinions on her high school co-op, Kent County Softball Captain Addison Eddy stated, “I feel like it benefits both schools on and off the field.”. Eddy then went on to explain how it specifically benefits her socially and athletically, “I was able to make a lot of new friends but I also learned a lot from the other girls.”
Even though co-ops provide a lot of opportunities, they also have their cons. Merging two schools who have always played against each other can be hard and cause conflict. When coming from different schools it can be hard to work together as a team. Small stuff like practice schedules and even uniform colors can cause big issues in the team culture. But this will vary from team to team, some teams may have this issue and some may not. Despite this, co-ops allow these athletes to learn from each other and grow as people.
Although co-ops are not perfect, they are the best solution for high school athletes to keep playing. They offer a valuable solution for struggling schools to field full teams and ensure that every student-athlete has the chance to experience the benefits of high school sports.
