Sports are huge at West Albany High School. Many people grow up doing them, and many people are just getting started. The tryout process is one of the biggest parts of a sport; it’s what determines if you make a team or not. Let’s see what a senior who has experience doing sports, compared to a freshman who tried out for the first time, has to say about their experience.
Senior Zyon Moevao: Volleyball and track
WW: What did it feel like trying out for the first time?
Moevao: I didn’t really know what to expect. I wasn’t sure what team I would make; I wasn’t even sure if I would make a team, which sounds silly to some people, but I also went to school in California, and then I went to a private school, so I really had no idea what to expect.
WW: What thoughts went through your head?
Moevao: I had a lot of fun, I had a really open mind. It was really cool meeting everyone and figuring out what a volleyball atmosphere was.
WW: How has your tryout experience changed from your first year to now?
Moevao: Every year, it was a little nerve-racking, just because we weren’t sure of teams and nothing ever was set in stone. Things can change at any moment, but by my senior year, I definitely wasn’t as nervous compared to my freshman and sophomore years.
WW: Do you do anything to prepare for your tryouts?
Moevao: I just do my best and pray, and everything works out the way it’s supposed to.
WW: What advice would you give someone who is trying out for the first time?
Moevao: Don’t force yourself to like something just because you know that other people want you to do it. Find something that you enjoy and that you like the process of.
Freshman Summer Boyd: Wrestling
WW: What did it feel like trying out for the first time, or what do you think it will feel like?
Boyd: Kind of scary, but I think you have to stay really confident. Having friends who do the same sport also helps with being nervous.
WW: What thoughts were going through your head, or what thoughts do you think will go through your head?
Boyd: [I was] kind of scared, but again, you just have to stay confident.
WW: Do you do anything to prepare for the tryout?
Boyd: It was kind of just like you [participate in an] interview, you don’t really have to try out for wrestling.
Josie Fandrum: Softball
WW: What did it feel like trying out for the first time, or what do you think it will feel like?
Fandrum: I think traps will be fun, because I like to keep up [with] the team. But when I first started going to practices, I was definitely scared, because everybody else had been playing for
at least three years.
WW: What thoughts were going through your head, or what thoughts do you think will go through your head?
Fandrum: I get told to act more confident, so probably just being more confident and telling myself not to freak out because it’s whatever.
WW: Do you do anything to prepare for the tryout?
Fandrum: I’m probably gonna go back to the batting cages, and then I’m probably gonna play with Boston Bryant after school.
