Freshmen sports help players make new friends

Each year as school commences in September, the fall sports also begin their preparations for their upcoming schedules. Students of all grades participate in autumn sports, including the freshmen who are joining their first high school teams. Forming a group of friends is essential to a students success in their high school careers and freshmen sports is a first step in finding new friends.

For a lot of freshmen guys, joining the freshmen football team is a great way to stay physically active and also a good way to meet new people with similar interests. In the case of Freshman Matt Peters, who has been playing football for five years, the team has opened new doors for him.

“I’ve met a lot of new people [this year],” Peters said. “People who have older brothers who play football help the freshmen make friends with other player’s brothers.”

The freshmen football team has a tough schedule ahead, as they get their first taste of high school football and the intensity of Concorde games.

“I am looking forward to Oakton because all of our Franklin friends who play there,” Peters said. “Centreville and Westfield are going to be our hardest games.”

There are many different ways for freshmen girls to meet their new peers through sports as well. Some girls try-out for field hockey while others go out for volleyball or cheerleading.

Julia Golden, a freshman field hockey player, found new friendships from the amount of time she spent with her new teammates.

“Playing field hockey definitely helped me make new friends,” Golden said. “Being with your team twice every day gives you time to get really close with everyone. Conditioning and practicing creates lots of fun memories very quickly.”

For Golden, the team has not only helped her make new friends, but strengthen old ones and prepare her for high school.

“I have made several new friends and got closer with people I already knew,” Golden said. “I am also not as nervous to start school because I’m already used to waking up early plus I have more friends then I would have if I didn’t play a high school sport.”

On the freshmen girls’ volleyball team, the new friendships players have made can also work to help the team as a whole. Stephanie Dugan, a freshmen volleyball player, explained that

“We have to be able to cooperate on the court in order to play well, and being friends off the court really helps,” Dugan said. “I’ve met upperclassmen too, which is nice because they’re helping us learn all about Chantilly.”

When freshmen enter high school, there are hundreds of new classmates they are introduced to in a very short period of time. By joining a freshmen sports team, freshmen can form bonds that will last through high school.

“I was far more nervous for high school before I started playing than I am now,” Dugan said. “It’s been a great experience so far and I’m definitely going to try to play next year.”

Written by Josh Wallace and Alex Whitson

freshmen, Sports Online, Sports