City College athletic teams are composed of skilled athletes that have committed themselves to excellence on the field and in the classroom.
Juggling athletics and academics can be difficult especially for athletes that come from outside of California, who are faced with higher tuition and are often times without the support networks that in-state student athletes enjoy.
“With living expenses on top of tuition it’s like I am going to a state school,” said Boise, Idaho native Danielle Ariss, a captain on the women’s basketball team. “Time management with practice and also being a team leader can be difficult.”
Despite the difficulties that they face, the majority of these athletes are thrilled with their decision to come to City College.
“It was the best decision of my life,” said Katie Randall, a forward on the women’s basketball team from Nebraska.
The wealth of talented players that choose to come to City College from across the nation and world gives athletic teams diversity, which is evident on the field of play.
Men’s soccer enjoys the services of 15 players from outside of California, 14 of whom are not from the United States.
“I feel like we have a variety of talent from all over,” said Sekou Rolland, a midfielder on the men’s soccer team and native of Seattle, Washington. “I notice tendencies that people from different parts of the world have, on the soccer field.”
These different styles of play have meshed together well for men’s soccer as they have jumped out to a 14-4 record. Mark Knight, who is one of the leading goal scorers in the state, is from England.
Even with the impressive contribution of these out-of-state athletes, the backbone of the athletic department is compromised of players from the Santa Barbara area.
According to athletic director Mike Warren the majority of players are California kids who have grown up within 50 miles of City College.
“All coaches are encouraged to recruit from the inside out, meaning that we are going to make every effort to recruit local kids first, and to build our teams with local student athletes,” said Warren.
This policy does not regulate the number of out of state athletes here at City College but it does maintain the focus of the various coaching staffs on local athletes.
Many out of state players are compelled to work to offset high tuition. Conflicts between work, athletics, school and a social life present a major obstacle for these individuals.
“I work at Macy’s, and if you can’t work holidays they fire you,” Randall said. “I want to go home for the holidays.”
Warren added that out-of-state student athletes experience all the problems that regular out-of-state and foreign students face and more. These problems include homesickness and financial issues. They also have to deal with the added dimension of a time consuming sport that has the potential to be too much for some to handle.
However, City College remains the preferred destination of many out of state athletes despite the many difficulties they may face.
“I know that this basketball program is one of the best in California,” Ariss said. “Every single sophomore gets looks from four year universities.”