The opportunities that high school sports provide athletes are countless.

That being said, playing high school sports, particularly at the varsity level, should be viewed as a privilege that is earned, not a right that unilaterally is granted. Competition for roster spots often is spirited, and only the most talented and hard working emerge from year to year.

There is little doubt that one of the most difficult decisions, if not the most difficult, a coach has to make is cutting a player. When the athlete is a senior, the matter is even more excruciating.

The finality of such a situation can be overwhelming, but we hardly think it's the basis for a lawsuit.

A lawsuit filed Monday by Jessica Wieker, a Grand Junction High School student, and her parents, Deb and Rick Wieker, claims Mesa County School District 51 discriminates against girls, violating Title IX. Title IX is a landmark law that guarantees equal gender access to public education opportunities.

According to The Associated Press, the suit states, "In the fall of 2004, Jessica Wieker "tried out" for the Grand Junction High School volleyball team. Wieker had played volleyball for Grand Junction in the previous three years. Wieker was cut from the team. Therefore, she had no opportunity to play volleyball in school year 2004-05."

The suit contends that, unlike boys who play football, senior girls do not have the option of playing on the junior varsity volleyball team if they fail to make the varsity team. It also claims there are 10 percent more boys than girls playing sports in the school district, although Title IX does not specify a percentage.

Most large school districts have athletic policies that state a senior cannot play at the junior varsity level, especially in team sports, where the number of players on a squad is limited.

That is not always the case for smaller schools, where seniors might be allowed to play down at the junior varsity level to ensure there will be enough players to field a team.

Certainly, there have been similar situations at larger schools. Grand Junction athletic director Johnnie Walker admits senior football players occasionally have been allowed to drop down from the varsity during the season to play junior varsity to help field a team.

Rhonda Blanford-Green, the assistant commissioner of the Colorado High School Activities Association and the organization's Title IX representative, is aware of the Grand Junction situation but has not seen the lawsuit. She did not hesitate to back the school district and Walker, though.

"The Grand Junction school district has been diligent in gathering information relative to all of their sports programs and program decisions in determining Title IX statutes," Blanford-Green said. "In my dealings with John Walker, he has been an advocate for girls athletics and issues surrounding equity.

"This is an unfortunate incident, and all school districts must continue to monitor their athletic programs under Title IX and equity guidelines."

There is little doubt Walker has firsthand experience in dealing with gender-equity issues. As a new gym was being built at the school recently, he trimmed the size of the facility so that the boys and girls locker rooms would be equal in size. It was not a popular decision in some circles.

In addition, Grand Junction offers 10 sports/activities for boys and 10 for girls.

"I feel comfortable in our daily decisions that I'm doing what I can for the boys and girls in compliance with Title IX and being fair to all the students," said Walker, who also is a member of the CHSAA Board of Control. "I haven't seen the lawsuit at this time, so I can't comment."

According to Michael Grattan III, the lawyer for Jessica Wieker, he began the process for filing a lawsuit last August after she had been cut from the team.

"We filed our complaints with the school district and the Office of Civil Rights," Grattan said. "This is not a huge damage case, but an attempt to change the structure of gender participation. Our investigation has shown that over the past five years in all cases, the district has been outside of federal guidelines."

Grattan also said that financial damages have not been ruled out.

By all accounts, Wieker had the opportunity to make the varsity volleyball team but was unsuccessful in her effort. Ideally, there would be a spot for every high school athlete who would like to play.

As with nearly every sport, though, there is only so much room on the roster. In this instance, varsity volleyball squads usually have 10 to 12 players. Junior varsity squads sometimes are larger, but most coaches keep those rosters to a similar, manageable size.

The junior varsity squads are the feeder teams for a varsity program. Dropping a senior or two to the junior varsity level merely to provide them a place to play, regardless of ability, creates other issues.

To make room for the senior(s), underclassmen most likely would have to be cut. What about their opportunity? Realistically, cutting these younger players also could hurt the overall development of the program.

It, too, erodes the essence of competitive sports. It is a hard realization, but sometimes athletes simply aren't good enough to reach their goals on the playing field.

To be sure, competitive sports can be a less than satisfying experience for administrators, coaches, athletes and their parents. However, it is not always the fault of the system when an athlete does not achieve their dreams.

And when that happens, common sense should prevail. To paraphrase the old saying, it isn't necessarily a reason to make a federal case out of it.