Camas High School (CHS) is one of the few schools in the area to have freshmen on varsity sports. Many challenges come with being a freshman on varsity, but there is also a reward. Some challenges freshman athletes face are how to juggle homework, mental blocks, and the size differences between freshmen and upperclassmen.
“It was challenging to play with upperclassmen because there were a lot of expectations from coaches and other players,” freshman Ava Blackburn said.
Something most student-athletes struggle with is mental blocks and overcoming them.
“Something challenging was overcoming my mental block with playing with upperclassmen,” freshman Brooklyn Burns said.
But with mental blocks come great breakthroughs.
“I realized that we are all on varsity soccer for a reason and every single one of us has worked hard to be here. It doesn’t matter if you’re younger or older, that’s how I got over it,” Burns said.
On the boy’s side of varsity sports, the size difference between a freshman boy and a senior boy are drastically different most of the time. It is a challenge all freshman boys face when put against upperclassmen.
“One of the really big challenges I faced with being a freshman on varsity was how much smaller I am in comparison to some of my teammates. I have been able to overcome that challenge by working harder and being faster with my decision-making with the ball,” freshman Pax Epstein said.
Among size differences, another difference can be skill level for both female and male athletes.
“A challenge I’ve overcome was the difference in skill and playing with people better than me and that pushed me to train more and be better and on their level and that’s how I overcame that challenge even though it took a while I tried my best every practice to be better and on their level,” freshman George Cluen said.
Although being a freshman on varsity comes with its very own set of challenges, it also comes with some of the best memories.
“I loved the moments in the locker room before hams, our warm-ups on the field at Doc Harris just felt special and secret sisters all because everyone was kind and connected,” Blackburn said.
Amongst the amazing team culture, winning challenging games and the relationships made are extremely memorable.
“Some great highlights were all the tough wins we pulled through and played till the end of the game. It’s amazing to see a team work together and put conflict aside and play the game,” Cluen said.
Even though being a freshman on varsity is rare in most cases, the team building and culture at CHS athletics are amazing to see.
