In any position, starting in a higher position can help boost confidence. Having prior experience, and therefore better suited in a specific field. This can apply to plenty of things in life, classes in school, a new job, and, although it’s not very common, being an underclassman on a school’s varsity team.
Senior football player RJ. Fallows was on the freshman football team his first year, but was abruptly cut short by an injury. “It was hard at first because I wanted to play with the rest of the team,” Fallows said. Having the loss of his freshman season only pushed him to be better.“But it honestly made me stronger because the following summer I made varsity, [overcoming] my injury,” Fallows said.
Even with an injury, Fallows persevered through the struggle and became stronger, rightfully earning his spot on the varsity team. “I think it gives confidence to know that even after a big injury or a big sacrifice you made, you can come back and be as good as you are.”
While some people have put in the work to be at a higher level right from the beginning of high school, another route is to start on a lower-level team and develop skills to then work up to the varsity level.
“She is really resilient and has gone through a lot to get where she is today,” Volleyball coach Megan Wallace said about Senior volleyball player Kyrah Gladney. Gladney was cut from the volleyball team her freshman year and has steadily improved since then, working her way up through the teams, landing on the varsity level this year. “You can tell that she has put in a lot of work and is ready to fight for her spot on the varsity level.”
“There was always a chance I would get cut again; that was always a fear in my mind,” Gladney said. Being one of the oldest girls on her team, she felt she always had to be on the court. “In a way, it was embarrassing playing less than the younger girls,” Gladney said. Despite all of those factors, she liked being older than the other girls. “I was put into a leadership role, being able to tell [the incoming freshman] about school and help them outside of volleyball,” Gladney said.
Whether an athlete at West Albany High School starts on varsity or gets there eventually, it can be hard for both people in terms of the mental effects and the physical work.
“I do think it’s harder to start on varsity as a freshman,” Wallace said. In the volleyball program, they do their best to be welcoming, but it can still be hard for newcomers coming in.
“It’s one of those things where you feel like you’re an outsider, and it can be hard to find your place at first,” Wallace said.
Even when it’s mentally and physically challenging to work your way up through the levels of a sport, sometimes it’s necessary to have better skills and mindset.
“Sometimes a freshman will be good enough to play JV football, but he will not play JV football,” Mehl said. When it comes to football, the coaches try to make athletes climb up to the varsity level instead of starting at the level, simply for development. “I have many examples of players that were first-team All-league starters that played JV their entire junior year, and they always stand out.”
“Don’t let the fact that you’re older take away from doing what you love,”Gladney advises those in her situation not to let things like that take away from the experience and instead embrace it.
“As long as you keep pushing, don’t give up on yourself,” Fallows said. Fallows encourages athletes suffering from an injury to persist and continue to improve themselves, along with their skills. “ This is not your lowest point. You’re going to keep fighting, and it will be even better when you get back.”
