The shinai sword cracks and echos across the daunting gym. The packed stands snap silent. All attention pin-pointed at the two opponents in the center, masked, facing each other in dead silence. Paly junior Victor Chen bows at the center of the shiai-jō, the taped match area, just next to Japan’s Imperial Palace. This is his second invite to a youth kendo championship in Tokyo while representing the United States.
During Chen’s stay, he spent time training with elite players at a corporate dojo inside Nippon Express. Soon after, he then competed in a venue so prestigious that royalty stopped by.
“There are some imperial family members that came to watch,” Chen said. “Being chosen to represent the United States twice…and training with high level players…it was a really unique experience.”
Kendo isn’t the only sport found through unique communities. Across the country, various states run varsity high school sports programs that California does not. From bass fishing all day in the beating sun, to bowling under the alleyway lights, to E-sports. Almost anywhere you go outside of California, there is a unique high school sport being offered that many individuals enjoy participating in.
In Japan, experiences like Chen’s are part of normal high school life. Kendo is offered in high school with many different teams, coaches and national tournaments.
However, kendo isn’t a CIF-sanctioned sport, meaning it isn’t offered as an official high school sport in the state of California. Most students interested in participating find kendo through community dojos or clubs instead and have to deal with juggling practice and competition travel around class schedules.
In states with many lakes, bass fishing is a popular varsity sport with weigh-ins and state titles at stake.
Vermont’s 2024 state champion, Hailey Isham grew up on the water and has been influenced by it her whole life.
“I grew up fishing with my family…since a young age, I’ve been competing in not only bass but other fishing tournaments as well,” Isham said.
Additionally, her best day as a fisher was about more than a trophy. It started before sunrise at the launch ramp and ended at the weigh-in stage. After a long day on the boat alongside her brother and her dad, she was able to take home the state title as well as a memory that will last forever.
“Winning states has been a dream of mine since middle school,” Isham said. “I accomplished that goal…with my brother and Dad by my side.”
Isham was surprised that California doesn’t offer bass fishing as a high school sport, as it is a norm where she is from and believes it is a great opportunity for people who are new to fishing.
“Honestly, that surprises me,” Isham said. “It should be an opportunity everyone gets. It gives people with maybe less access to fishing a chance to get out on the water.”
Access to boats, equipment and just being able to get onto the lake is also a challenge that the sport faces, as rosters are dependent on coaches who have boats.
“While there are a few teams that have 10+ anglers, many only have a few,” Isham said. “Some schools also don’t have a team due to not having a coach with access to a boat.”
As one of the few girls competing, her win mattered even more. Her state title felt like both representation and an invitation to other girls who might have that dream.
“It showed other girls that they should put themselves out there, even if it’s in a boy dominant area of interest,” Isham said. “[Bass fishing] has shaped my high school experience…I’ve met many great people from around the state.”
The environment is a big factor in a sport like bass fishing. States with lots of lakes and easy boat access are able to naturally build and develop school teams. Whereas, long drives to lakes, drought and limited access make programs harder to run. Even local rules, such as catch and release and boating policies, dictate how practices and tournaments can work. The tradeoffs include various logistics, as well as finding the perfect weather conditions while being on the lake. On the upside, bass fishing builds real-time decision-making, patience and teamwork. It’s also an inclusive sport to anyone who wants to join, meaning no one on a high school roster can be cut.
Circling back to the sport of kendo, with no CIF-sanctioned league, Victor Chen’s kendo life runs through dojos, regional federations and a lot of travel, rather than through his local high school.
“It’s a little more difficult to get school to understand my competition schedule,” Chen said. “There’s a longer process to getting excused absences…it’s unique and foreign to the administration.”
Success is more about just winning, it’s about character. Athletes bow to their opponent, calm their breathing and practice control and respect. These are habits that carry over away from the gym and into personal life.
“Kendo is a little more spiritual than most sports,” Chen said. “Through being a better person, you actually become a stronger player.”
Coaches at big practices and tournaments look for skill, character and composure after mistakes. Not everything is about being the most dominant, but more about how you can lift others up.
“They care a lot about if you’re coachable,” Chen said.
That characteristic helped him make the Northern California rep team and the U.S. Junior Team not just once, but twice.
Training often means sharing the floor with adults, which can be intimidating at times, but also speeds up growth and improvement.
“Coaches can really give more attention,” Chen said. ”You end up training with stronger adult players and you improve really fast.”
Anyone struggling to find or join a unique sport knows that it can be very difficult. It’s important for everyone to be open and be willing to give new sports a chance, even if they are less known.
“Find your closest dojo and try a practice, there are no cuts,” Chen said. “Kendo is for everybody.”
In Japan, kendo is more embedded in high school with teams, gyms and regular competitions. Whereas in California, it mostly lives in community dojos, so access, practice times and competition schedules rely more on club scheduling rather than a CIF calendar.
Upsides to being a part of smaller groups include lots of coaching attention, fast growth from training partners and a deep focus on respect, mindfulness and composure. Additionally, kendo is inclusive and a no-cut sport.
Although, some trade-offs are that gear can be expensive, tournaments often require travel and fewer peers can make recruiting more challenging. Despite these tradeoffs, kendo offers a unique path to cultivate discipline, respect and a close community.
Throughout the past several years, electronic sports have gradually become recognized among American varsity athletic teams. In California, high school e-sports teams compete through outside organizations under the umbrella of the CIF Esports Initiative, which endorses and supports these programs. However, e-sports has not yet made its way to official CIF sanctioning. As a result, e-sports is not yet treated on par with sports like basketball or soccer. Conversely, other states, such as Utah, Georgia and Mississippi, recognize e-sports as an officially sanctioned high school sport.
Armand Verrière is the co-captain of the e-sports team at Cherry Creek High School, a high school in Greenwood Village, Colorado. In Colorado, e-sports are officially sanctioned by CHSAA, which is Colorado’s CIF equivalent. For players like Verrière, e-sports are an essential part of the high school experience.
“Playing e-sports has definitely shaped my high school identity. People know who I am, what I do and that I’m passionate about e-sports,” Verrière said. “Without e-sports, I don’t know how I’d survive high school.”
Verrière believes that high school e-sports should be sanctioned nationwide, and that his experience would differ if he lived in a state like California, where e-sports aren’t officially sanctioned.
“I’ve never really thought about e-sports not being sanctioned in other states before. If I lived in California, my experience would be different,” Verrière said. “High school e-sports are growing in the US, and having it sanctioned in California would be a great thing for students.”
Another popular sport outside of California is bowling. Similar to esports, bowling isn’t a CIF-sanctioned sport, but some California schools still have bowling teams. These teams operate outside of CIF rules, often competing through local or regional bowling associations, club leagues, or other independent competitions. In states like Illinois, New York and Michigan, bowling is sanctioned and students compete in official state tournaments with full varsity recognition. This includes regional and state championships.
For senior Esmerelda Rosado from East Ridge High School in Clermont, Florida, bowling has always been a major part of her life.
“This sport has always been in states I’ve been to, so I never noticed that it isn’t offered nationwide,” Rosado said.
Still, bowling doesn’t always get the same recognition as other varsity sports, even in states where it is sanctioned.
“If I lived in California, I don’t think my high school sports experience would be too different because most people don’t consider bowling a sport,” Rosado said. “Along with the fact that it takes certain funding.”
Student athletes like Victor Chen, Hailey Isham and Esmerelda Rosado show how high school sports vary across the U.S. Some sports, like kendo, bass fishing, e-sports and bowling, thrive in certain states but remain club-based or unsanctioned in others. Access, environment and funding shape opportunities.
