Some eighth graders might be trembling with fear as high school sports near. Their schedule will go from two days a week of sports to five to six days a week of practice. The schedule is not even the scariest part. The tryouts are intense with many skills needed and lots of training before. As Head of Athletics Jim Desarno expressed, “The jump from middle school sports to high school sports can be pretty significant. The commitment is the biggest change. High School sports are a six day a week commitment, even over holidays and breaks, practice and games still go on. Sports with freshman teams aren’t as intense as a varsity experience and they are a good lead in. Once you move onto the junior varsity and varsity levels, the off season becomes a factor and training (weight room) plays a part in the commitment. It’s a natural progression for student-athletes that like the sports they compete in.”
Westfield High School Soccer
First, let’s talk about boys soccer. A six page packet is handed out to everyone wanting to try out. The packet included the fitness guidelines, the summer conditioning, the summer schedule, drills and technique, the testing guide and some information about the program. Eighth grader Nico Richards emphasized his opinions on the packet: “Based on seeing this paper, I feel like they’re overworking us, and I won’t have time to balance my club team and my school work and Westfield High School soccer.”
Boys freshman soccer coach and Media Specialist at Edison Intermediate School Mr. Andrew Cusumano responded to Nico’s fears: “I think there is always stress around the tryouts, but it’s good stress because it makes athletes want to work harder. The fitness program is created to help compete at a higher level of soccer. It’s not meant to hurt athletes, but help them.”
Coach Cusumano added, “This year there are 50 freshmen who want to play soccer, and we only take about 20 people, so that could be a reason for stress.”
Many incoming freshmen are also trying to figure out the best balance with WHS soccer, other sports, and academics, but for some the stress is preventing them from coming up with a plan. “I’m very stressed about soccer because there is a lot of work, and it will be hard to manage with grades and conditioning,” eighth grader Robert Defoe mentioned.
“It surprises me how many people are trying out,” stated eighth grader Santi Gensler-Canale.
On the other hand, eighth grader Nicolas Distadio is looking forward to the upcoming season and is confident on his time management. “I’m just excited about high school soccer because I’ll get to see my teammates. They are all in high school right now. I will manage my time by going to soccer events and doing my school work after.”
Westfield High School Cheerleading
The next sport that is being considered by many freshmen is cheerleading. “We got stress, yes we do, we got stress how ‘bout you!” Many incoming freshmen who are eager to cheer on the sidelines are relating to this cheer. Eighth grader Gabby Panarese expressed her worries. “I was really stressed about learning the dance and the cheer for tryouts, but the thing I’m most worried about is the result of the tryout.”
Eighth grader Naomi Meyers shared her strategies to prepare for tryouts and reduce stress. “I prepared for the cheer tryout by getting together with my cheer friends that are on the varsity team. While I practiced my routine, they corrected me and gave me tips to make it better. Before I turned in my video, I sent it to them to review it.”
The cheer tryouts were different from any other sport. Instead of going in person and performing for lengthy hours in front of coaches, the cheerleaders were given three weeks to learn two routines: one cheer and one dance. Once they were confident in their abilities to perform their routines, they grabbed their phone and recorded themselves doing their cheer with all their spirit. They sent in the videos to be judged by the coaches and quickly got the roster back in two days to see whether or not they earned their pom poms.
Westfield High School Football
The next sport to consider is football. Touchdowns are in close reach for the incoming freshman. With the season starting this summer, eighth graders share their comments and concerns about the commitment they will soon make for the team.
Eighth grader Nick Monagas shared his opinion on the early starting season. “I think I’ll be able to manage my academics better because we start practice during the summer, so it won’t heavily affect my education and it will help me have a good balance.”
Even though there is a freshman football team that does not ensure that the work will be easier and the competition will be easier. “It’s going to be different because we will be playing against harder teams, and there is so much training and workouts,” eighth grader Owen Furrer said.
Eighth grader Nate Edelson also added, “It’s going to be hard, as we are playing teams we have never played.”
Westfield High School Field Hockey
There are also many field hockey players are continuing their love for field hockey in high school. Even though many incoming freshmen have played in eighth grade the expectations are raised as they move up to high school. “I’m nervous but at the same time, but I am confident in skills. I have worked so hard and I’m truly hoping it pays off when I try out this summer,” eighth grader Laila Mehmedovic explained.
Eighth grader Teagan Greeley is also feeling nervous: “I’m scared of high school field hockey because the drills are hard, and I’m anxious that I will mess them up.”
Eighth grader Kayleigh Bucciarelli shared the ways she will balance her field hockey and academics: “I’m going to complete my work after field hockey but this commitment will be tough.”
Overall many eighth graders are feeling mixed emotions but are putting in a lot of work to ensure their spot on their desired team. Eighth grader Benjamin Stadlin shared some words of wisdom for his fellow classmates who are trying out for fall sports: “If you play how you train you can achieve your goals.”
