Brooke Womack
Sports Editor
Making a varsity team is every athlete’s hope while walking into tryouts. Some do make the team and others don’t, but what about the underclassmen that make the top team?
Many times when underclassmen make teams it comes as a shock to both returning varsity and the player who made the team.
“No, I didn’t think I was going to make varsity. I think having a lower expectation for myself actually helped me do better because I wasn’t as stressed at tryouts. I had no expectations and it really helped,” sophomore Lena Corcoran said.
When you’re the youngest on a team it can be stressful for your voice to be heard if you don’t know your team, but at Sandy that’s not the case.
“On the football team I’ve never felt like my voice or opinion has gone unheard. Everyone’s opinion has always been taken into consideration,” sophomore Cole Rotzien said.
Finding your role on a team that already has spots filled has shown to be more difficult.
“Right now on the team I feel like a middle man. The seniors are the captains but I’m not exactly the type of person who isn’t going to have stuff to say. So I find myself stuck in the middle of both worlds,” Rotzien said.
Although connecting with a teammate on the field or court might be easy, friendships away from the sport can be weird when you’re in a lower grade.
“Sometimes not being in the same grade feels off. Being the baby of the team you can sometimes feel like there is a lower standard for you to act mature,” Corcoran said.
Although being put on the varsity can set your mood on a high note, playing without your friends or people you’ve played with your entire life can be a downside to playing up.
“It’s hard seeing your friends on another team and watching them having fun and laughing. It also sucks feeling like people in your grade are jealous or when they think that you don’t deserve to be on that team,” Corcoran said. Some people can recognize the downside immediately.
“I was not happy when I made it as a freshman because I had to stop playing with people I had played with my entire life and had to switch to a new team,” Rotzien said.
Although they’re younger and inexperienced when it comes to playing at a high school level, underclassmen who make Varsity are put on the team for a reason.
“I’ve played volleyball my entire life, so I had the skills down. I’m also naturally a very loud person. Everyone can hear me so it comes in really handy in volleyball,” said Corcoran.
Being on a varsity team when you’re the youngest can be tough, but in the end everything works itself out.
“Overall though, through time I’ve come to realize that being a freshman on varsity was a good experience to help push me forward in football,” Rotzien said.
The Pioneer Press 