Many freshmen athletes strive to play for a varsity team but there are many obstacles along the way. Some of the challenges freshmen face are size differential, experience, and lack of relationships with players and coaches. Most freshmen are typically smaller than the upperclassmen because of their age difference. This makes it harder for freshmen to be more aggressive on the field and makes them more prone to injures.

Freshman Eli Dever, a player on the freshman football team, believes “Most people on varsity football are fully grown so it would be a pretty uneven matchup. Also, a good reason not to go directly into JV or Varsity is that you have not gotten ahold of the program yet.”

Freshmen do not have any experience playing on a high school team. They are used to playing for middle school leagues with players of the same age and roughly the same size. This transition between middle school and high school can be intimidating but does not prevent the athletes from success. The extra year gives the player an opportunity to polish their technique and to learn more about the team.

Junior Laura Roberts, a varsity soccer player since her freshman year, states “I think being on the varsity team helped me make relationships with teammates and coaches. It was hard to get used to at first because of my small size, but I on think it would have been even harder for me to join later.”

These disadvantages can be challenging at first, but once overcome, the results are extremely rewarding. With perseverance and heart, talented freshmen athletes can play for team varsity.