Being a freshman on a varsity team is an impressive feat that does not come easy. Imagine you’re a freshman or sophomore, you look at the roster and realize you made the varsity team. You’re ecstatic and filled with joy, but you wonder what it is like being one of these amazing athletes. How do you handle the pressure, how are you treated by the players, how hard is it to get playing time? We will answer these questions and more about what it’s like to be one of these elite athletes.
Aaron Sadler is a freshman wide receiver who is starting on the varsity football team. For freshman Aaron Sadler, joining the varsity team was a very interesting experience. He was very excited and happy about this opportunity. Although that was just the beginning. It takes blood, sweat, and tears to be able to perform at that level as a freshman. It’s also the pressure to perform when you achieve something like this. When you make a varsity team at an underclassmen level, people view you as a stellar athlete who always performs. That pressure can stick with you through the games. Or it can be manageable and not bother you as much. In Sadler’s case, “The pressure is not too bad, I get a little but it’s not too hard to handle.” Which is understandable if you love the game enough. Sadler can manage his pressure through his love of the game, his method is to “Just play man.” Another factor as a freshman playing at that level is your teammates. Sadler’s fellow green level football athletes are particularly welcoming. Sadler says “I was treated greatly and welcomed by the other players.” Teammates must be supportive and help each other out, whether under or upperclassmen because what they think about you can affect a player’s mentality coming into games. Although this is one example from an athlete that only plays varsity.
What if you’re on the varsity roster, but mostly play JV? Luc Mohammed is a freshman lineman on the varsity football team. Another talented underclassman on the varsity level, but what if you don’t play at that level? Luc spends most of his time playing in the JV games. Although it’s much harder than you may think, splitting your time between JV and varsity can be a difficult task. Based on Luc’s testimony it can be manageable initially, but over time it becomes overwhelming and challenging. Luc has to translate his abilities from a JV level to a varsity level which can be difficult to perform. Luc quotes “In terms of the plays it is similar, but skill level and difficulty of the game becomes increasingly harder.” It’s well known that the levels between JV and varsity are a very different experience, but by how much? How much more competitive and difficult is the varsity level compared to JV? According to Luc, “There is a noticeable difference because of the size and athleticism of the upperclassmen, and better skill level.” So performing at that elite level at a young age can be difficult in most cases. That’s why freshmen on a varsity team have to work twice as hard to get half as far.
As the season progresses both of these athletes will be tackling their struggles head on. For Aaron, it’s making sure to keep performing at a top level. For Luc, it’s splitting time between both JV and varsity teams. Either way, it is proven that being a freshman on varsity is no easy task, even if you get put on the roster there are still multiple other factors that must be taken into account. The pressure, teammates, and time management are all aspects of being a freshman on varsity that upperclassmen don’t usually face on the same level. Especially at a younger, less mature age, things like that can be incredibly difficult to handle. So at the end of the day, being a freshman on a varsity team in sports is a hard task that cannot be taken lightly.
