With the arrival of the winter sport season, many students are having a hard time being able to join the sports that they were once heavily involved in.

Nowadays, many sports teams have much stricter regulations for making the team. Just two years ago, Indoor Track & Field accepted as many people that tried out for the team.

A lot of people made track specifically because the coaches wanted to give them the opportunity to improve their athletic ability. 

Speaking from personal experience, as a person who has never participated in any other sport besides rowing in middle school, I was overwhelmed and constantly at the back of the line during races.

Despite my initial lack of performance, I wasn’t cut from the team and my coach consistently pushed me to work harder. He made me stay back after practice if I didn’t complete a task properly.

Unlike previous years, coaches are now pushing harder, making cuts even on JV during the first week of practices.

However, it isn’t right to cut someone and give them no chance  for improvement. I wasn’t cut, even though it looked like I had the least amount of potential to be a talented rower.

I consistently improved as the season went on. Perhaps it was because  making cuts was a hard decision for the coaches to make.  Another possibility was that the coaches simply wanted to make team.

The new coaches just want people with the talent to have a winning team. Does this really make what we call a team?

Look at AHS wrestling for example, everyone makes the team since there are no tryouts.

Depending on the number of people they have, they would take anyone even if they have little experience.

The overall team dynamic or skill may be at a lesser degree at first. However, with hard work, dedication  and consistent feedback from coaches, the whole team can mature as a whole, according to my coach at the beginning of the season.

You’re only as fast as your slowest rower. Well, how can we even have a single good rower if they aren’t allowed the opportunity to grow and develop their skill?

Say a student who was cut, with the least amount of skill. You don’t know whether that one kid could be the budding star of the night at the sprinting race in an outside race at Potomac High School.

Disregarding one’s level of performance, students mature at different rates, emotionally and mentally. However, they also mature at different rates physically. That one kid who was cut in the first week of practice could have been the best runner or swimmer.

Getting cut lowers your self-esteem. Studies have shown that freshmen student athletes who get cut often never try out for a sport again.  Students don’t want to try out again because they may look desperate.

Coaches shouldn’t cut people from JV teams.

Since varsity is reserved for talented athletes, the point of JV is to allow those with less skill and experience to also partcipate in the sport.  What’s the point of having JV if not everyone is given the same opportunity?

In addition, there should be a freshmen team for track because so many people want to join the sport. Freshman teams are a great way to students with no experience and skill to learn and participate.

While getting cut may send the wrong message to student athletes, it isn’t the end of the world if you get cut.

Sports aren’t everything, and that is simply a fact. There are so many other extra-curricular activities that you can participate in- whether that is Model U.N. or the Atoms Writing Center.

Many student athletes partake in other activities in the mean time when they aren’t participating in their off-seasons. Just think of the tryouts as an opportunity to showcase your talents, or potential.

But even if you aren’t selected, like 38 girls out 60 that tried out for JV and Freshman basketball, don’t fret. You’ll find something even better to do.