Sophia Yeskulsky | Writer
September 28, 2023
Freshmen: the grunts, the lowest on the totem pole. In the minds of seniors, they don’t even exist. These stereotypes which have been instilled in the social structure of high school will last until the end of time. At the end of the day, these social norms within high school are just something that everyone has to deal with — it’s a part of the whole high school experience. Especially in high school athletics, these social norms are amplified, as everyone is competing for a spot on the roster. Despite this mountain against them, the freshman athletes of San Clemente High School have realized the immense benefits of playing high school athletics. For most freshmen, the transition from club sports to high school sports and being a freshman in general has been difficult enough, but it has also brought many positives.
Freshman Wyatt Silva, a cornerback on the Triton football team, explains the transition into high school athletics. For him, it’s had its positives and negatives; however, what has stood out to him the most is that it “is easier to have a strong relationship with your teammates because you see them more often.” Unlike playing on a flag football team or Pop Warner, you see your teammates in your classes and get to spend time with them at lunch. The team chemistry ultimately increases which greatly impacts a team’s performance on the field.
On the contrary, Wyatt has not liked how “your classroom behavior can inflict punishment on the field.” Different from middle school, your coaches will find out about your classroom behavior because “the coaches take their jobs more seriously and are more committed to winning and success.”
To live up to the motto of One Town One Team, Triton Football is committed to not only setting the standard on the field but also in the classroom.
Jade Lundquist, a freshman middle blocker for the girls volleyball team, explained how she felt that playing high school sports has given her an advantage compared to other freshmen. She notes that because she instantly had “12 new friends at school,” the transition into high school was a lot smoother. With more friends, the pressure of the social aspect of high school is taken off. Jade also noted that she has had more fun playing high school volleyball: “All my friends can come to my games and it helps me do better when they cheer me on,” she explained. With the addition of Jade’s high school coaches being more “supportive and nicer” than her club coaches, it’s safe to say that Jade has had an easy transition. Even though Jade is happy with her current situation, she still worries about how when she gets older, there will be “less teams available” for her to play on.
A part of being a freshman is meeting new people and making new friends. Emily Cobb, a freshman forward on the girls soccer team, knows this all too well. Moving from out of state, Emily has been grateful for all the instant friends that the sport has given her. Additionally, she went into detail about the stresses of tryouts. She expressed, “It’s been very stressful especially throughout tryouts because it’s all new people you’re playing with and new coaches you’re trying to impress.”
In essence, for freshmen, making a sports team is a benchmark for a great high school experience — so naturally, there is a lot of stress and anxiety placed upon them. From being in charge of gathering the gear and lugging it around, to tag teaming the Gatorade water cooler that needs to be filled up and brought to practice every day, the freshman are treated like second-class citizens; however, as Emily noted, “it’s totally fine because everyone has to go through it at some point.”
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