New Jersey club sports provide the extra mile - and then some - for young athletes

In sports, athletes search for the competitive edge: To be stronger, faster, smarter. And many young athletes – including those in middle and high school - are looking to sports clubs to increase their skills.

Club sports come with a hefty price tag. One parent said a membership to a soccer club was $3,500 a year; another said it cost $8,000 for his daughter’s lacrosse club. And these do not include the cost of tournaments, travel, uniforms and equipment.

Club sports also come with an enormous commitment of time not only for the athlete but the entire family.

“I have no idea how much we spent to do whatever we had to do to help our daughter, Lola, be the best she could be at soccer,” said Niki Brand of Fredon, N.J. “We have three children, and her club team was an hour and a half away so either myself or my husband would drive her to practices, stay into the night until they were over then drive her home, usually stopping for food along the way as the level of sport left her tired and hungry.”

The rewards are tangible. A number of young athletes earned college scholarships in their sport. This includes a collegiate swimmer who has qualified for the 2028 Olympics and who credits the time spent at swim clubs for his success.

There also are the intangibles.

Emily Popek, of Newton, N.J., competes in both Division 1 rugby and club wrestling at Princeton University where she is a freshman. “Club sports gave me the opportunity to train consistently and compete against high-level athletes, and that environment helped me develop discipline, resilience, confidence, how to manage my time and handle both success and setbacks which are lessons that extend far beyond athletics,” she said. “I do think club sports are worth the investment because of the opportunities and life lessons they provide.”

What follows are some of the stories of young athletes and parents who sought to better develop their athletic skills through sports clubs.

‘To see their potential’

Brooke Ginsberg of Newton, N.J., started travel soccer in 5th grade and then went to club by 7th grade. Travel teams are a springboard to clubs and are less intense, involve more local games and tournaments and come with a lower price tag. Going to club ups the ante, the time commitment and the price tag.

“Travel is only about $500 a year and not as competitive,” said Brooke’s mom, Elaine Smolinski. “Club is at least $3,500 a year and you’re going to different states and tournaments. I believe it’s important to go to a club if the child wants to play in college because that’s the only way for them to see their potential.”

Kutztown University, a Division 2 school in Pennsylvania, reached out to Brooke after a scout saw her playing on her PDA club team in Florida at a “showcase” along with many other colleges.

Playing Division 1 or 2 can earn an athlete sports scholarship money. Division 3 is also highly competitive, but does not offer money.

“Kean University (D3) also showed up to every one of her games and wrote her letters for months, but as a child, all she could think about was getting to D2 because in her mind that was better,” Smolinski said.

Brooke committed to Kutztown. But as her mother explained: “She was not a fan of the military style soccer and the school couldn’t provide her with the classes she needed for her major, so after one semester, she transferred to Kean where she is extremely happy playing goalie and pursuing her academics.”

“The amount of money for hotels, gas, plane tickets, food, the tuition, tournaments, showcases and uniforms plus goalie gloves to play club soccer ran us about $75K,” she said.

Worth the time and cost

Mike Bussow, of Sandyston, N.J., put his daughter, Karley, through club softball.

“League fees are about $1,200, pitching lessons run $60 per hour so $2,400 per year. There are no lessons during the high school season but for club travel hotels run about $2,400, meals $1,800 and gas is a variable,” he said. “Overall, the development and exposure is worth the time and expenses and it did prepare her for high school and college and added to her prospects.”

A lesser known sport

Mila J. Valentin, of Sparta, N.J., is a senior at Pope John High School and started fencing when she was nine under the tutelage of Mark Trudnos of Hamburg. Trudnos’ son, Allen, has been an avid fencer since age 7, but there aren’t many high schools that offer fencing as a sport in Sussex County, so Mark Trudnos started The National Fencing Alliance Club of Sussex County out of the Sparta PAL.

“Interested girls and boys reach out to us, and we offer both private and group instruction,” Trudnos said. “As far as price, that is highly dictated by the necessary insurance we have to have. In addition, the kids need shoes, a mask, gloves, a jacket, a proper weapon (a saber, foil or epee) and girls need a plastic front. We rent it as well, but most choose to purchase their own, and it lasts for many years.”

“Club fencing is completely worth it,” said Valentin’s father, Julio Valentin. “She has received an official nomination letter to fence at West Point, so we’re just seeing if she gets in.”

“The club experience took Allen Trudnos very far earning him numerous championships and a scholarship to NJIT,” Trudnos said. “He just transferred to Penn State so will hang up his saber for a bit to focus on academics.”

Club versus school

Lily-Ella Toother is a junior at Lenape Valley High School in Stanhope, N.J.

“She loves lacrosse and is an integral part of the high school team,” said her father, Damian Toother. “She does club lacrosse with Sparta LAX, and it’s not cheap, costing up to $8,000 per year. Club has given her a chance to become very social and meet new friends from other areas, but her true love is her high school team where she feels very valued. She has gained a new appreciation of working out and runs and goes to the gym most days.”

‘The best she could be’

“I have no idea how much we spent to do whatever we had to do to help our daughter, Lola, be the best she could be at soccer,” said Niki Brand of Fredon, N.J. “We have three children, and her club team was an hour and a half away so either myself or my husband would drive her to practices, stay into the night until they were over then drive her home, usually stopping for food along the way as the level of sport left her tired and hungry.”

The Brands traveled to places including California and Barcelona, Spain, so that Lola could compete in tournaments of the highest order.

“There was a lot of pressure,” Niki Brand said. “Each practice meant having your best game on and academically, Lola had to balance studying in the car to and from practice due to the time commitment.”

Lola did great and was approached to play soccer at many colleges, but in the end, academics won as on top of all of the time playing in high school plus the huge commitment to the club, she was accepted into Penn State University.

“Yes, club is worth it,” Lola said, “But not necessarily for reasons people think. It wasn’t just about the level we played at or the possibility of college soccer, it was worth it because it pushed me to grow as a person. I learned discipline, resilience and how to handle pressure at a really young age. Those lessons stay with you long after the games are over.”

From clubs to the Olympics

Billy Ruddy, from Hampton, N.J., is a senior at Ryder College, and his resume as a swimmer at such a young age is epic. He has qualified for the 2028 US Olympic trials in a short course pool (25 yards) with a time he is required to hit again in an Olympic sized pool which he is confident he can do.

“I will complete my studies at Ryder and then jump in full focus on swimming,” he said.

“Club swimming with several clubs over the years from a young age absolutely helped me swim for Ryder and now advance as far as I can go,” he said. “Club swimming pushes you a lot and it’s not easy, but that’s the point as it makes you reach deep down inside and bring out the best in yourself.”

Cheer

Sam Lupo has been the head cheerleading coach at Kittatinny Regional High School for many years. Though she feels that cheer clubs are a great option for some, the caliber of the program that she runs raises the bar for high school organizations.

“We travel to Nationals and practices are long and demanding,” she said. “I find nothing wrong with cheerleading clubs, but for my athletes to do both our program and club would be way too much. I’m so proud of the reputation we have built as a high school program. This past year, the team ventured to Texas for Nationals.”

‘Life lessons’

“For the last twenty years, we have been practicing positive self-awareness, teamwork, sportsmanship and competitive spirit in the form of basketball,” said Cornell Thomas, an internationally renowned motivational speaker and director of Crossroads Basketball, which is based in Lafayette and offers clinics, clubs, camps and AAU travel programs.

Thomas’ programs focus not just on basketball improvement but “the beautiful life lessons that can be taken from the training and sport.”

‘Playing club is the nature of sports now’

Taylor Hough is a freshman at Kings College and is already seeing considerable court time for the school’s basketball team. Her father, BJ Hough, was her travel team coach and Taylor went on to participate in a number of clubs and programs.

A history teacher at Jefferson High School, BJ Hough said, “Club sports are so beneficial and I fully encourage it. It can be expensive and it’s very time consuming, but we made it work. Playing club is the nature of sports now.”