By Faith Mwalwa
<[email protected]>

Six days a week, two and a half hours a day, guard and sophomore Mark Fennerty participates in intensive practices in preparation for the upcoming junior varsity basketball game.

Just like every other sport here, the players must also work hard and practice to sharpen their skills, but also like other sports, cost is a factor.

“Basketball is pretty expensive (in my opinion),” Matt Howard, sophomore center and teammate, said. Just like Fennerty, Howard participates in Amateur Athletic Association, or AAU, an offseason basketball league that runs from March to August and varies year to year. According to Howard, the initial fee of joining is about $400 to $1000. Other costs include equipment, board for the players and plane ticket costs, which are mainly covered by the sponsors of the league, Spice and Nike.

Fennerty’s mother, Karen Fennerty, said, “In order to cover the cost for playing (at Carmel), Mark had to sell for a fundraiser, 10 items at $15 each. We paid a $280 practice package, in the end, plus a pair of new shoes.” When asked about her opinion of these prices, Mrs. Fennerty said that she thought the prices were quite reasonable, because Fennerty was able to keep the shoes.

When Fennerty participated in AAU, Mrs. Fennerty paid $475 to get him into the program. This, according to her, also covers the cost of new shoes. The sponsor covers the hotel costs for the players, as well as plane tickets.

“But there’re also hotel fees and plane tickets that the families of the player have to pay,” Fennerty said. When Fennerty played in Las Vegas last year, his mother said that she paid for two plane tickets, as well as lodging in Las Vegas for $30 a night, which she said, again, was a very reasonable price.

“We also paid for a physical fitness guide in the offseason,” Mrs. Fennerty said. “(CHS) basketball is very competitive and Mark needed to remain fit.” Mrs. Fennerty paid a rate of $15 an hour. Fennerty went for an hour at a time, twice a week.

She also said that the prices, generally, are reasonable. “When Mark went to IU basketball camp in years past, a week cost $300. Mark gets to keep his shoes and the $475 covers a long season.”

Fennerty agreed and said, “I don’t think basketball is all that expensive.”