Student-athlete conference celebrates boost in sports participation, new gear

The San Diego Unified School District celebrated new gear, field upgrades and a rise in student participation in sports at a press conference Tuesday.

According to SDUSD superintendent Fabi Bagula, the number of students playing school sports increased 13% between the 2018 and 2024 school years.

And that’s despite total enrollment in the district having dropped 23% over the same period.

According to Middle School Athletics Coordinator Lonnie Jones, San Diego Unified began offering middle school sports during the 2021 school year. and now 5,700 students play.

As the program enters its fourth year, Jones middle school sports are more than just games.

“They are pathways to confidence, discipline and lifelong success,” Jones said.

Bagula said the district has purchased more than 2,000 athletic items for the upcoming school year — such as cross country and soccer uniforms, wrestling headgear, mouthguards and hundreds of balls for various sports.

The district also purchased foam headgear for flag football athletes.

“Recognizing the tremendous value sports delivers to our students and their families, we’ve continued to do everything we can to invest,” she said.

In addition, fields at more than eight high schools in the district are currently being renovated or have been replaced in the past few years.

The press conference, which took place at Clairemont High School, coincided with the district’s annual student-athlete leadership summit.

The summit brought together about three dozen student-athletes to talk about safety and other issues.

Bagula said that in the fall, every high school in the district will have an athletic council to discuss topics related to sports.

Jaxson Giusti, a junior at Mira Mesa High School who is a member of the student-athlete advisory council, said the state’s governing body for school sports has clear rules promoting good sportsmanship: cheer for your team and not against the opposing team, don’t use profanity or rush the field and respect referees and other officials.

“At the end of the day, sports are about more than just competition,” Giusti said. “They are about character, teamwork and representing our school and community with pride.”