JV players feel overlooked
September 30, 2016
Many Big Spring students participate in fall, winter, and spring sports, but many do not make it to the varsity team. Soccer, Cross Country, Field Hockey, Volleyball, Football, Wrestling, Basketball, Softball, and Baseball all have players on a JV team. Out of the 12 JV teams throughout the year, many of the students think they don’t receive the attention they deserve.
JV, which stands for Junior Varsity, is usually a collective group of athletes that are not the main players in a competition.
Assistant Athletic Director, Randy Jones, said that being on a JV team means that you are a part of a group and a family that is “preparing yourself to be a varsity competitor.” Jones also said to be on a JV team means that you are “accepting of your roles and that you are there for more than yourself but more importantly you are there for your team.”
Scott Anderson, boys’ soccer coach, said that certain criteria is used when deciding who goes on varsity or JV. Skill, physical fitness, knowledge of the game, preseason training, and dedication are all assessed during his try outs. He said, to get on the varsity team, players really have to work hard to get there. On the subject of JV attention, Anderson said, “JV teams are always very important.”
Naturally, varsity would get more of the attention because they are the “star players”. But at Big Spring, the JV players want more attention than what’s being given.
Allison Frick, JV soccer player, said that “she likes playing on the JV team because you get experience with other freshman and some sophomores but don’t have to play with people who are more skillful yet.” Even though Frick likes playing on the JV team, she said, “Everyone pays attention to the varsity and they care more about them than JV.”
Shelby Hoffeditz, JV Volleyball player, said that even though varsity and JV are separated, they are still “One big family that all support each other.” She said that there are some advantages to being on the JV team, such as practicing with the varsity and scrimmaging with them so that you get more experience. Hoffeditz loves playing on JV but still said, “ JV definitely does not get enough attention, because people only focus on the varsity team.”
Anderson also said, that in the end “JV is the future of the varsity team.”
On the other hand, some people at the school believe that the JV teams are important, but that the attention should mainly go to the varsity players.
Cory Hoffman, Dean of Students and football coach, said that he thinks JV teams get enough attention. Hoffman believes being on JV is preparation for the varsity level which is when you get the attention from your peers and the media. He also said though that JV deserves a lot of respect because they put a lot of time into what they do. Hoffman said that even though he thinks they shouldn’t get the same attention as the varsity team they still “play as much of a role in the success as the varsity team does”.
Overall, students, athletes, and coaches all have different opinions on the attention being given to the JV players at Big Spring High School.