By Sang Kyeong Choi, Staff Writer
Soccer, football, softball, baseball, water polo, and cross country are sports where Mills athletes display their great talent. But why does the spotlight always go to the Varsity teams? What about the Freshman or JV (Junior Varsity) teams? To answer this question, knowing basic knowledge of highschool sports teams is needed.
Sports teams in high school are usually divided the following according teams; Freshman, JV (Junior Varsity) and Varsity. The reason why they are divided is because their skill levels are all different. Freshman teams usually only have freshmen, JV teams usually have freshmen and sophomores, whilst Varsity teams usually have juniors and seniors.
Athletic teams like Varsity teams have more experienced and skilled players than JV teams but the players slowly rise up to skills as they get to Varsity. JV teams have better player qualities than Freshman teams. These reasons divide sports teams into Freshman, JV and Varsity, despite some similarities that may be present.
Though more attention goes towards the older and more “highstakes” Varsity teams, the JV and freshman teams put in just as much mork and may even have just as much talent. Both teams are necessary despite the possible thought that having both a Freshman and JV team is too much because of their high similarities. Even though they look similar they are both necessary for players. If there is no Freshman team, beginners will have a hard time adapting to the JV team.
The Freshman team helps new players improve their qualities as newcomers. By competing with players who have the same levels, new players can develop their experiences with the sport. The JV team helps fill the experiences and skills that freshmen lack compared to high grade sport players. Freshman team’s qualities are low compared to Varsity team and vice versa.
JV teams help freshmen get enough experiences and skills to improve qualities likened to higher grade players in varsity. Moving from Freshman to JV and then finally to Varsity is a common path that many athletes will take in their highschool sporting careers. By thinking about what the Freshman team does and what JV does helps finding the answer to which team gets the most spotlight. Even though the JV team and Freshman team have similarities, the JV team gets more spotlight.
The main spotlight usually goes to high level players and players who are releasing their potential. Comparing the Freshman team and JV team, the JV team has higher level players. Also JV team players have enough experience to start the release of their potential. Freshman teams can get spotlight like JV teams but JV teams are more likely to get spotlight than Freshman teams. For the question,”Does the spotlight go to Freshman or JV teams?” the answer would be that JV teams are more likely to get spotlight than Freshman teams.
