Over 70 percent of Trinity students play sports on either JH, JV, or Varsity teams. Though not many would even consider costs when deciding which sport they would like to start or continue at school, it turns out that different teams have starkly different requirements for clothing and equipment. Some sports like golf are obvious contenders for being expensive due to pricey equipment, but others can also become expensive depending on the amount of items required for players in pride packs. Trinity’s basketball program seems to be on the higher end of the spectrum for costs, while sports like cross country require minimal team clothing.
Boys varsity basketball head coach Anthony DiGiovanni requires multiple items for his players, ranging from practice uniforms and team polos to shoes. However, he does allow exceptions to these requirements.
“For the Varsity kids, they get the practice jersey, they have to buy the team shoes and polo shirts, so on game days they wear khakis and a polo shirt,” DiGiovanni said. “I don’t get too picky … We got guys that play multiple sports, I’m not trying to make them spend money just to spend money, it’s just about having a certain sense of uniformity.”
DiGiovanni does have reasons behind the team being clothed similarly, which have to do with the overall image of the team to others. He requires the players to all wear the same basketball shoes, which is unique.
“As far as sneakers go, it sends a message, and I noticed this really early on in my career,” DiGiovanni said. “We played some really good teams, and when playing the teams with organized shoes, we knew they were going to have a good program, and that they would be well organized. When we played teams where the shoes were different, chances are that that team was going to fall apart under pressure.”
Though it might seem like a stretch to some, DiGiovanni said that it has an effect.
“I think that the referees pick up on that, and I think they might give more favorable calls because they see our team as well run and coached, which they equate with the team doing things right. So I think it’s the little things that send a big message.”
Teams like cross country require much less in terms of both cost and clothing. Runners must have good shoes to participate in cross country, and since each member has their own preference, they do not all have the same shoes as a team. Senior Sarah Persaud said to purchase new shoes every year or so, even if they’re not required, due to the heavy wear and tear they go through.
While other options are available, the team is only required to use one team clothing item for the whole season.
“They require you to have one of the uniform tops for meets, and you can buy one of the practice tank tops if you want to,” Persaud said. “They also give us spandex for every meet. I think the practice shirts cost around $20 to buy.”
The costs are very low for participating in cross country, but Persaud also expresses that the thought of more team uniformity is appealing to her.
“That actually would look pretty cool because I’ve seen some teams before where the varsity girls have had pretty similar outfits which I thought looked good,” Persaud said. “But I can see how that would get expensive for everyone to coordinate that.”
Though they haven’t made any major moves towards team uniformity with their clothing, one recent special tradition to the girls cross country team is the use of bows which they tie in their hair when running.
