After a long dormant summer, South Whidbey High School’s Waterman Field and adjacent tennis courts were crowded last week with athletes and coaches getting ready for the fall sports season.

Football Coach Mark Hodson was a happy man when more than 60 students showed up for workouts.

“We’ll be able to do a full range of offensive plays on the field this year,” Hodson said.

Today, following a scrimmage, the team begins Hodson’s signature bonding process with a luau.

It may seem a visual sports cliché, but Tim Durbin’s volleyball team start their practices by running up and down the bleachers, over and over. They head to Yakima for an invitational meet next Saturday.

The boys tennis team, girls soccer team and cross country runners are also hard at it in their respective practice venues.

Beyond all the activity lurks a very real and continuing problem for school officials — balancing the costs of keeping co-curricular programs alive. It takes money to maintain the band, choir, drama and athletic teams; cover ferry and bus travel, referees, equipment and all the myriad of expenses needed to turn out well-rounded graduates.

On Sept. 7, roughly 562 students are expected to walk through the doors on the first day of school. Declining enrollments, combined with skyrocketing fuel costs, South Whidbey is searching for ways to save money and time wherever possible.

That’s why athletic director John Patton prepares for the new season by dealing with the budgetary realities of a full sports program.

Last year, the school district ordered the removal of soft drinks in all vending machines — only juice and water remains available for thirsty students. But the school took a financial hit of close to $20,000 as sales declined.

With a budget of $60,000 to cover 14 different sports over the school year, Patton is determined not to raise participatory fees, currently $30 per student per sport.

“With 300 athletes, that means only about $9,000 toward overhead,” Patton said.

“But a significant increase would mean losing kids. And that I don’t want. Their parents are paying for shoes and equipment already,” he said.

Another option is cutting the number of sports. “I’ll go out and wash cars every weekend before I let that happen,” Patton added.

It could be worse.

Friday Harbor, for instance, has just raised fees from $50 to $150 with a $400 per family cap. A survey of area schools shows South Whidbey still charges below the $54 average.

Of course, Patton is a realist when it comes to finances.

“These are decisions that have to be made by the school board,” he noted.

Jeff VanDerford can be reached at 221-5300 or e-mail sports@southwhidbeyrecord.com.