RENTON — High school athletics and activities participation in Washington was at an all-time high in 2017-18, according to the latest participation survey conducted by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association and the National Federation of High Schools, which was released Friday, Aug. 24.
According to an Aug. 24 news release by the WIAA, Washington high schools reported 175,783 students participated during the last school year, ranking 15th in the country.
Total girls participation in Washington was at 74,803, 14th among state associations while boys participation totaled 100,980, ranking 16th.
The most popular boys sport in Washington by participation remains football, with 23,282 students competing last season, up from 20,995 in 2016-17. That was also true nationally as well, with 1,035,942 students competing in 11-player football.
The most popular girls sport in the state was volleyball which saw 11,186 participants last season. Nationally, the most popular girls sport was outdoor track and field with 488,592 students competing.
Washington boys sports saw increased participation in baseball, basketball, football, golf, swimming and diving, tennis and wrestling. Girls sports saw an up-tick in basketball, golf gymnastics, soccer and softball
The number of participants in high school sports in 2017-18 reached an all-time record high of 7,979,986. The number of girls participating in high school sports reached an all-time high of 3,415,306, and boys participation also set a new standard at 4,564,680. While the number of additional participants this year (16,451) was not as substantial as the previous year (94,635), a steady increase in several boys and girls sports extended the streak to a record-breaking 29th year.
The most popular sport nationally by schools remains basketball, with 18,510 fielding boys basketball teams and 18,171 fielding girls squads. Outdoor track and field was second, with 16,990 schools taking part for boys, and 16,951 for girls.
The Cheney Free Press reached out to officials at Cheney and Medical Lake high schools to find out how these numbers translated locally, but had received no response as of press time.
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