Sports. A plural noun meaning an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. A release of tension and a source of amusement for the athletic.  A scream of death for those who avoid it like the plague.

I am somewhere in the middle, because although I am not the most athletic person, I enjoy sports and am intensely competitive. In the fall I participate in soccer, in spring I play softball, and year round I dance for a Galway’s competition team–however this isn’t the point. Going into high school is scary enough, but playing sports with people twice your height and sometimes half a decade older than you is petrifying. Despite what you may fear, playing sports in high school is worth it.

In seventh grade, I joined modified soccer and softball. For a while, I thought people would make fun of me for being “fresh meat,” but it was engaging and everyone was really welcoming.  I learned a lot about basic skills, plays, and rules to the games. My coaches put me in midfield where I would learn to love to run and then put me as catcher where I learned that throwing the ball fast isn’t always best and that the youngest, most inexperienced don’t get the “Knee-Savers*.” I felt that not only the coaches made an impression on me, but the supportive team did as well.

Then summer came and went and school began again, along with a promotion in my level in soccer; I was being brought up a year early to JV, also known as Junior Varsity. I was ecstatic because a lot of my former teammates were all ready on the team and I could spend more time with them. We all got matching warm up suits and addictions to a game called Palmer that season, but just like summer it came and went like a shot to the goal.

Softball was just as exciting because I played nearly half the games as catcher, my now favorite position, and was usually second batter on the line up. This meant, like in soccer, I was told to run as fast as I could, which I didn’t mind. Although I didn’t hit any home runs or make any triple plays, I felt that I really improved as a player and learned a lot about how to be part of a team. Not everyone knows what it feels like to go up to someone everyday and just high-five in the hallway because they are a family. I learned that if you asked someone to braid your hair for a game, nearly half the girls would raise their hands and welcome you into their seat on the bus, since we were all so close.

Then. There. Was. Freshman. Season.

The soccer program decided to remove the JV team and I had to decide if I would move up to Varsity or stay down as a Modified player. This is a huge decision for any Freshman, but despite my advancement the previous season, I felt that even though I gained a lot of experience from competing with older kids, I still didn’t feel like I was good enough to be an asset to the Varsity team. I remembered my enjoyment of Modified and believed I could fine tune my skills if I went there.

If I went down though, would the girls accept me? I hadn’t played with a majority of them before and maybe they would think I was too old to play with them. Would they make fun of me for not picking up skills as easily as their fresh minds? I didn’t know…

But what if I went to Varsity? I wouldn’t know anyone at all, let alone have played with them before. And would they think I was too young to play with their team? Would I be fast enough? Skilled enough? Smart enough? Would I get any playing time? Again, I didn’t know.

I remember my mom getting a text message one Saturday in the summer, when I was in the car with my friends and our moms, after stuffing our faces near a golf course. She turns around and says, “Varsity tryouts today. They are in three hours. Are you going?” I didn’t know, I was scared, and we were on our way to mini-golf.

All the “ifs” swirled around me giving me such stress I sat at home and cried. My self esteem and self confidence wasn’t the best, like many adolescents, and I had to make a decision. My mom drove me to the practice, after I got the only hole in one, but came in last place, and I got out of the car. Time was running out.  I got out of the car, turned around, and told my mom to drive me home. My fear got the best of me. I felt weak.

The next day, my mom forced me to go to the practice and make it more than 5 feet away from the car. So I did. I gave it a shot and stayed the whole practice. I actually didn’t mind the practice itself, but I realized how out of shape I was and how much skill I was missing. I wanted to refine my ability as a player and learn how to be better, before I played with the older girls.

I made a decision. I don’t regret it for a minute.

I joined the Modified Girls’ Soccer Team and became co captains with one of my best friends. We had a winning season with 6 wins, 3 losses, and 1 tie on our last game in Fonda. Not only did we make lasting friendships, we became a family. We all had a blast on the field and off it, because together we felt safe, welcomed, and ready to win any challenge thrown at us. As the season ended I was brought up to Varsity’s Sectional team and learned that I shouldn’t be afraid next year to change teams, because here at Galway we are a family. As one of my High School Musical-loving classmates would say, “We are all in this together.”

I can’t wait for softball season to start and catch all the memories thrown at me and am excited for what else awaits me. I encourage all athletes to not be afraid and let fear get the best of them, because you don’t know what is in store for you if you never take the first step.Thank you all for reading my second article in the series Freshman Fears. I encourage everyone to stay tuned for my upcoming articles on Holidays, Homework, and Report Cards.

*”Knee-Savers” are a term used to describe the wedge shaped piece of foam that attaches to the back of a catcher’s shin protectors (which are different from soccer shin guards). Playing without these can lead to knee pain or back pain on occasion, but really teach the player that they should do more squats and that catching with good posture is important.