This past week and this weekend many student-athletes start their quest for a spring championship. The number of student-athletes that are vying for a state crown in tennis, track & field, boys volleyball, boys & girls lacrosse and baseball and softball are mindboggling.

Let's take a look. We had 22 track qualifying meets in 12 districts; looking across the board if we conservatively estimate 750 athletes per meet that places us at 16,500 student athletes competing in district track & field meets alone. If you back that up into league, conference and sectional meets; that number is easily doubled to 33,000. Ultimately, this resulted in 2683 athletes coming to Shippensburg University for the track and field championships this weekend.

Looking at the other sports you'll see tennis teams as well as single players and double teams will have competed across the state to qualify to the PIAA championships and I would say the same formula applies; 2 classes in 12 districts and viola another 1000 tennis players competing.

Baseball and softball conservatively hold 20 players on a roster and PIAA has 16 teams per bracket in 4 classes at the state level. With 12 districts and using the same number for districts (which they probably have more); Shazzam, we have another 15,360 players per sport or doubled to 30,720 for both baseball and softball. How wild is that?

Volleyball and boys/girls lacrosse with fewer districts playing and less classes would add another (20 players per team X 16 teams X 4 classes (2 classes in each sport) and you add another 6 districts and holy smoke another 7680 athletes.

The conservative grand total is approximately 72,400 students participating in interscholastic athletics. Folks, that a whole lot of student-athletes participating in the oldest gifted program in the world.

To that we say; Congratulations to all of you being part of the most value driven; results oriented, economical program that schools offer.

Interscholastic athletics: where students achieve new goals every day!