JOHNSON MAKES A MOVE

before, but she isn’t quite ready for him to leave again.

“It will be a bit more quiet. Since we went through this with him in eighth grade, we kind of know what to expect. We all will for sure miss having him around, but we also know this is what he wants,” Michelle said.

It wasn’t an easy process getting his parents to agree for him to go off again for a whole year, especially with junior year right around the corner. However, Johnson rose to the challenge and proved he was able to handle it all.

“Knowing that this is what he wants so badly makes it feel like the right decision,” Michelle said “He has proven to us that he is responsible and mature enough for this opportunity, and we are so happy for him.”

Not only will Patrick be leaving his family and friends at Lafayette behind, but he’ll also be leaving the Lancer’s hockey team for a season or so.

One of the key players on the team, Johnson’s rookie year was strong enough to earn him the Wickenheiser Cup MVP award in 2019.

This season, Johnson has continued being one of the top players on the ice, scoring 13 goals and assisting in six.

Head Coach of the Lafayette ice hockey team, Jim Carrico, has valued Johnson’s work from the first moment he played for the Lancers.

“Patrick plays the game the right way,” Carrico said. “He is the ultimate leader and teammate. He doesn’t trash talk the other team. You never see him pouting or complaining. He just goes out and plays. He works as hard as he can each time he hits the ice. He never gives up.”

When Carrico learned of Johnson’s tender with the Bobcats, he wasn’t surprised to hear it. He knew Johnson would play the best hockey he could, whether it be with the Lancers, the NAHL

In the Wickenheiser Cup match, sophomore PATRICK JOHNSON looks to pass the puck to one of his teammates as he skates down the ice. • photo by JACK WEAVER

or Division I college hockey.

“Players like him don’t come along often. He has earned this chance. He will do well and the NAHL will be just another stepping stone to move on to the next level,” Carrico said. “He will be missed next year. In the meantime, we will enjoy his remaining time with our Lafayette Ice Hockey Team.”

Sophomore teammate James Vermeersch has known Johnson for a long time, and is excited for his friend to get the opportunity of a lifetime.

“I talked to him a few days before he left for Bismarck. I kind of knew in my head he was going to sign that weekend but didn’t know for sure,” Vermeersch said. “I saw him play and saw him score on his first shot, which was pretty cool. He texted me the next day and told me he signed that night before he came home.”

Not only has Johnson proved to his coach that his leadership skills are to be missed, he has proven it to his teammates as well by being a leader both on the ice and in the locker room.

“He’s got a lot of skills and a great attitude,” Vermeersch said. “We’ve become really close these last few years, with going to the same school and playing on two different hockey teams together. I will miss playing hockey with him and hanging out with him outside of that.”

Johnson remains optimistic to return to Lafayette in his junior year, and reunite with all of his friends from the team.

When he arrives in North Dakota in August of 2020, he’ll attend Century High School and take courses that will transfer to Lafayette for his return in either April or May of 2021.

“We have a great group here, and we all go to this great school,” Johnson said. “One of the hardest parts about leaving Lafayette hockey is that I’m going to miss the boys a lot, but I know they’ll be supporting me here while I’m gone.”

Sports 30 Pay To Play?

Sports participation creates big bills for athletes

ALIYAH STUDT • Staff Reporter •

Although the school covers the costs of many team expenses such as tournaments and officials, individual athletes still often have major expenses associated with their sport.

For example, getting to the level of a varsity athlete often requires years of play outside of school on youth and club teams.

Families are having to pay for participation, equipment, travel, coaching, lessons and other expenses. Over the years, that can add up.

Once in high school, there are still costs associated with sports participation.

Due to the costs, some students may not be able to play the school sport they want. Although there is no cost to actually tryout and participate in a school team, there are still some associated costs with each sport including the expense of some necessary equipment.

Lafayette recognizes this, and makes an effort to lower costs in order to make in-school sports a possibility for as many students as possible.

“Each activity is alloted a number of coaching stipends that are set by the Rockwood School District each year,” Activities Director Jonathon Sumner said. “The Activities Office at each school is also given a budget each year to pay for officials fees, tournament fees, bus expenses, equipment and more.”

Once the dust settles and all of those funds have been paid, there are still outside costs for the athletes. The coaches in those sports do this best to help alleviate the stress.

Escadrille Coach April Ehrhardt said she splits up Nationals payments for the varsity team which can total up to $1,000. “In the two years I’ve been here I have split their payments into three, so that it’s not paying a huge amount all at once,” Ehrhardt said.

In addition to this, many sports do fundraisers throughout their season to help lower costs for parents.

For instance, Escadrille fund-raised this year through their Winter Clinic, concession stand earnings and collaborations with Kendra Scott. When successful, these events can lower Nationals costs for dancers. The money goes to costumes, rhinestones and other things needed for Nationals. Nonetheless, it can help tremendously.

“Last year, the third nationals payment was supposed to be around $300, but after fundraising, they only had to pay about $40-50,” Ehrhardt said.

Sumner also helps LHS sports teams to be fully equipped with all their essentials. This includes new game costumes for Escadrille, swim meet entry fees and various other costs throughout the sport’s seasons.

Regardless of the assistance, parents of student-athletes are still responsible for many fees.

This varies based on the activity, fees charged for games, the amount of students on a team, equipment costs, traveling fees and more.

Specifically, swimmers and divers pay for their own swimsuits and apparel, which can be $100-200 on the low end. Many girls tech suits can total up to $500, according to boys and girls swim and dive Coach Todd Gabel.

Senior Paige Daws is a swimmer on the team and sees how the funds she’s spent have been worth it, even her $400 kneeskin swimsuit.

But, she said the expense is worth it. “Swimming has taught me many life lessons other than just how to swim fast,” Daws said. “It’s taught me discipline, time management, how to respect coaches.” Outdoor sports that often take place in other locations, sports like softball and soccer, often have fees associated with them that indoor sports don’t have.

Senior Lucas Nickerson once spent $325 on a pair of outdoor soccer cleats. “I believe the amount of money my family has spent was worth it,” Nickerson said. “The lessons you earn and the memories you make don’t have a price tag. Soccer has always been fun for me, so I wouldn’t ask for a refund if I had the opportunity.”

However, there are still student athletes who don’t play sports that are sponsored by Lafayette, such as the ice hockey team who won the Wickenheiser Cup in 2019. “Hockey is not a school-sponsored activity, so it is not overseen or controlled by the Activities Office,” Sumner said. “We do not pay for its expenses. This means all of the funding associated with it is controlled by another organization.”

Head Coach Jim Carrico has realized over the years how hockey can be stressful for the players even though it’s an outside of school activity.

“Ice hockey roughly costs around $1,500 to play each year. It covers two practices a week and all the games played,” Carrico said.

It is both an effort between the coaches and the team in order to pay for the many fees and expenses. Some situations require more discussions than others, but athletes are encouraged to talk to their coaches about any financial issues they may have.

Sumner said there are many people who help with sport accessibility at LHS. He said, “[LHS is] lucky to have many hard working coaches, students and community members that go above and beyond in many ways to create more opportunities for our student-athletes.” “ [LHS is] lucky to have many hard working coaches, students and community members that go above and beyond in many ways to create more opportunities for our student-athletes..” JONATHAN SUMNER • ACTIVITIES DIRECTOR