Walking into the first year of high school sports can be intimidating and different from what students are used to. This was no different Peyton Mills, 9.
“In middle school we saw a lot of team building… [but] there was a lot of competitiveness between everybody [seeing] who could beat out who, once we got to [high school] ball this summer it was fun and we got to know a lot of people, it was better than what we all expected,” Mills said.
After the conclusion of summer practices and tryouts, Mills was upset to learn that they did not make the team, but was instead
asked to be a manager.
Although disappointed, Mills decided to take the opportunity to be involved.
“It was definitely surprising seeing how some things turned out, but it was still nice that I could be a part of the team, my perspective of volleyball just kinda changed,” Mills explained.
Being a manager still allows Mills to be involved in the thing they love, volleyball, however, they are not actually playing.
Mills has decided that although they did not make the team this year they is going to tryout again next season saying,
“A lot of girls are going to be moving up (teams), so that might leave openings, if I don’t make it it’s just not meant to be.”
When walking into junior year as an athlete, things can begin to feel familiar, coaches, peers, ect.
Macie Metcalf, 11, followed the typical pattern for a student athlete, freshman team, JV, and then varsity.
At the beginning of freshman year, Metcalf did not know what to expect, like most freshmen.
“ I knew I wanted [the season] to be fun and competitive. I wanted to have good relationships with my teammates and friends,” Metcalf explained.
After a successful freshman year, Metcalf participated on JV their sophomore year, suiting up for a few varsity games.
As junior year approached and Metcalf got placed on varsity, they began thinking of their expectations for the season,
“Honestly I thought I was gonna play three rotations max, but not sometimes I am playing the whole game,” Metcalf said.
As of now, Metcalf is one of two juniors on the varsity team, with a large number of underclassmen and has hopes that they can continue success in the future.
