The Loudoun County school system allows freshmen and sophomores to participate in varsity sports. Making the varsity team as a freshman is a great accomplishment; however, there can be downsides to being a freshman on varsity. Imagine you got recruited to varsity as an underclassmen. You might have feelings of excitement, nervousness, or even both?
Ben Wilson, a freshman who played on Varsity Basketball, stated he enjoyed the upperclassmen experiences, “Honestly, I like talking to the upperclassmen and hearing what they do and seeing how they play is really amazing.” He feels being on varsity motivated him to be a better player and improve his skills. He admitted, “Yeah, at the beginning of the year I was kind of slacking, and I felt like I was out of place when I was playing with the team. But as time went on, I improved a lot and got better.” The motivation from upperclassmen teammates can be a huge benefit to an underclassman’s performance in the sport they play.
Clara Hays was the only freshman on Varsity Volleyball last season. Although Clara missed playing with her friends, she was thankful to learn from her teammate’s experience. “The upperclassmen, they kind of guide you through the experience of being on a varsity team. It’s just really good,” she said. Being mentored by a varsity player helps new players learn the ins and outs of high school sports. This is knowledge Hays can pass down to her friends on the freshman team.
Ashton Gordon, a freshman Varsity Track member, also appreciates the encouragement she received from her varsity teammates, saying, “It’s been really good so far. I really enjoyed the team and how they have helped me through the season.” Gordon feels this motivation helped her make it to the regional and state competitions. It is not just motivation and experience that having a varsity team mate provides. Gordon feels she has gained a connection to the upperclassmen she would not otherwise have. “I get to know the people at Woodgrove more,” she explained. One can see that this can be a very helpful benefit coming from the standpoint of a freshman that is unaware of the school’s environment.
According to the freshman athletes interviewed, it appears there are more positive outcomes than negative when freshmen are allowed to play on varsity. But a question remains, how do upperclassmen feel when freshmen play on varsity?