Making the varsity team is the ultimate goal for any high school athlete, and for freshmen, accomplishing that goal is something that should not go unrecognized. With the number of great athletes playing the sports offered at OHS, the accomplishment of making the varsity team is rare and brings excitement to younger athletes, although they eventually have to learn to deal with the challenges and pressure of being a minority on the team.
For many athletes, finding out the news of being the youngest athlete on a varsity team full of seniors brings a wave of excitement and reality.
“I never thought I would get the opportunity to play with seniors and eighteen-year-olds. It was super scary going to my first game because we played the returning state champion. It was just surreal to be able to practice and play with such high-level volleyball players,” said Addison France, senior.
Since freshmen are four years younger than the students they practice and play with, they must find a way to build on the dynamic of the team, especially if seniors on varsity have gone through the program for several years together.
“The dynamic was different than it is now. I definitely think we have grown our culture but I do still talk to some of those people from my freshman year,” said Michael Simcoe, senior. “Some of [the older players] didn’t like me, but some of them definitely helped me out and hung out with me.”
There are other circumstances where the whole team comes together and welcomes the younger players into the community with open arms.
“A lot of the girls were like ‘I really hope you’re on varsity’ or ‘I really hope you’re on the team’ as I was trying out,” said Callie Garraway, senior.
After making the team and playing in games, going up against some of the best players in the nation puts pressure on athletes, being the youngest on the field.
“[Being] goalie is a lot different than being a field player. At the time when I was a freshman on varsity, I was going up against some of the best girls in the nation,” Garraway said. “Having that team chemistry and team bonding during the game, and before and after, is really what made me not stressed out.”
Team bonding is important when it comes to building a relationship within the team, especially regarding diverse, younger teams such as the varsity girls’ volleyball team. The roster consists of more underclassmen than usual this season.
“We did some team bonding and I feel like all of us are a lot closer now. Since [there are] four freshmen on the team, the seniors have been doing a good job of bringing us all together,” said Anabelle Cummings, freshman.
Skilled freshmen and younger athletes on varsity teams are able to contribute greatly to the success of OHS sports.
“I really did bring a lot to the team. I started, I played, and we were able to get state runner-up that year and I think I brought a really valuable portion to the team,” France said.
Having many young players on one varsity team is uncommon regarding the decisions of a sports coach. Seniority is regularly a huge factor in deciding who to include on the team’s roster.
“Now that I’m a senior, I’ve been thinking about it, and I would say I like how my coach did things. He would still let the older girls play at not as important games or as a sub, which I agree with, but in the games where you want to win and it’s important, it’s best to have skill over seniority,” Garraway said.
To win games and reach goals, coaches make decisions to start and play younger athletes, even if it means benching an older player who is on a lower level.
“It’s not about seniority, it’s not about ‘Oh, you’ve been in the program for multiple years.’ It’s your skill,” Simcoe said.
