The start of a new season is never easy, but the beginning of a season at a new school is even harder. Athletes must be able to adapt quickly in order to succeed in this new fast paced environment, but no one’s transition was harder than freshman Sophie Rosser’s who went from C-Team basketball manager to player in a matter of minutes. It was just a normal day when suddenly she was called out of sixth hour and informed of her position change hours before their big game. The pressure was on. While everyone else was feeling prepared, Rosser was feeling quite the opposite. With lack of experience on the court this season, Rosser had to rely solely on her team to push her forward. 

Whilst the rest of the team was warming up, Rosser as a team manager would normally be setting up gear, but as a player she must participate in warm ups too. The fast pace was dramatically harder to acclimate to, especially since she hadn’t endured these practices for some time. Although these struggles have arisen suddenly; she feels like a deeper connection with her team has formed. 

“Being more involved [with the team] has allowed me to know [my teamates and coaches] more than I had in the past,” Rosser said. “But the environment has always been a very welcoming and [supporting] one to be around.

Rosser’s transition was nothing less than challenging, but overall she feels like her team had a pretty successful first season. 

“[This] season has been very eventful, but I feel like our team has overcome every obstacle we were given,” Rosser said. “[Difficult situations] have arisen which have allowed us to [adapt] in [new ways].”  

When it comes to first seasons, some are more challenging than others. This reigns true for freshman Carter Elinor, the JV soccer player who spent most of his first season out with an injury, but this major setback strongly improved his bond with the team.  

“When I first started I wasn’t really talking to anybody, but being injured made it to where I knew everybody because I worked with them [individually],” Elinor said. 

While some athletes have had difficult seasons, Varsity Cross Country runner freshman Ava Breuer was able to accomplish more than she deemed possible. With this being her first season she wasn’t expecting to achieve as much as she has, but little did she know she would tie the freshman 5k record, qualify for districts, and compete in state.

Breuer recounts the highlight of her season, qualifying for state. 

“Individually I kind of knew because during the race I just kept counting how many spots, so I was [thrilled], but when we figured out we were going as a team I was so excited,” Breuer said. 

The most terrifying thing for any athlete is a change in coaches. Genuine relationships between coaches and athletes are not easy to form, so for many athletes they struggle to build this relationship right away. However, Elinor feels he’s connected with his coach on a whole new level than in years before.

“Coach Yocum is quite different from coaches I have [had in the past],” Elinor said.