Multiple teams took the best players from their JV teams and turned them into varsity athletes. With playoffs being so challenging for varsity athletes, the JV players provide the varsity athletes some relief. They’re expected to step up into a role they didn’t know they would be in. With many great players already on the team, the pressure is on.
Varsity field hockey pulled up a large number of players to support them. The four new players have been given the opportunity to continue their season and play until the end. Coach Laura Brager pulled up one sophomore, Alexandria Krouse, and three freshmen, Bailey Wexler, Cailtin Khoo and Nina Lichter.
“It feels amazing but terrifying at the same time. I’m so worried about making a mistake,” Krouse said.
Along with the goals of the existing varsity players, the “pull-ups” have their own goals they hope to achieve. These goals vary from getting playing time and just being able to keep up with the speed of the game.
“My goals for the playoffs are to support my new teammates and contribute as much as I can,” Lichter said.
With the adjustment of joining a fairly new team in the middle of the season, the style of play and energy of the game is much different.
“I think the biggest difference between JV and varsity competition is the intensity level and the amount of effort we put in,” Khoo said.
For the varsity girls soccer team, only one JV player was pulled up. Sophomore Haley Prindle got the chance to play with a higher level team.
“My goals for the playoffs are to do my best to adjust to the varsity level and get a good amount of playing time,” Prindle said.
There are challenging adjustments for any sport when being added to a team that’s already bonded. The difficulty of this is that one could feel left out and not part of the team.
“I expect that adjusting to the higher level of play will be challenging as well as being able to work well with the players on the field since I haven’t played with them,” Prindle said.
These athletes didn’t get to this point without training and wanting to be there. They worked hard and pushed themselves to be their best. Many varsity coaches keep an eye out for the young talent on JV.
“Some things I’ve done during the JV season is working hard, not only during games but during practice too. I also appreciate my coach’s tips and try to improve from their suggestions,” Khoo said.
JV to varsity is a big jump and these athletes got the chance to do it and join a higher level, with much older players. Even if this year wasn’t the one where you got pulled up, there are ways players can raise their odds to have a shot on varsity.
“The best advice I can give is to try hard and don’t slack off,” Krouse said.
