They are depended on. The pressure of letting their team down looms over their heads. They feel sweat drip down their temple as the nerves kick in. These are the experiences of freshmen Thayedius Hartshorn-Harvey and Owen Brown. Though they share their anxious feelings about new sports, they have very different sports lives.
Brown has been playing tennis for 10 years and previously played for Woods Tennis Center. Hartshorn-Harvey had never played football competitively before this year. Each of them not only made a team this fall, but they both made the varsity teams at Southeast.
Brown began tennis because his dad and brother both played competitively. He made the switch from a club team to a high school team because of the opportunity to be working with a team rather than playing by himself.
“I think it’s fun to be around other people who like the same thing that I do,” Brown said.
Contrary to Brown, this year was Hartshorn-Harvey’s first year playing football competitively. He decided to try out because many of his friends played youth football and recommended that he join them. He never imagined that he would be able to achieve what he did.
“I had no clue I was even going to suit up for [a] varsity game or reserve game. I thought I was just going to be on [the] freshman [team] like everybody else,” Hartshorn-Harvey said.
Both athletes were excited when they heard the news.
“It was kind of a dream to make varsity and be on the team, so it was just great,” Brown said.
(Myla Davis)
Though both were grateful for the opportunity, it was nerve wracking to be on a team with few other freshmen and with more experienced players. For Hartshorn-Harvey it made him even more anxious because he had never played before. He felt he had much to learn and said it was difficult at first to transition into the team, since everyone else had played together on club teams and knew the basics.
“I had no clue what I was doing, but I learned pretty fast and I picked it up pretty easily. I think I’m a pretty fast learner” Hartshorn-Harvey said.
It was helpful for both of them that there were other freshmen on the teams. Brown had one other freshman teammate, Marshall Bucheister, who he got closer to because of the team. Hartshorn-Harvey had two teammates who were freshmen and he was glad that they made it with him. It gave him people to talk to who weren’t juniors or seniors.
For both, it took a while to get adjusted to new teammates. Brown describes what the team was like after everyone got used to each other as a “good atmosphere.” He also had to adjust to the larger crowds and added pressure that came with being on a high school team.
“[On a club team] you [are] just by yourself with maybe a couple parents watching, but at state especially, there’s hundreds of people watching. Your matches count for the team and so it’s not just you by yourself,” Brown said.
In addition to adjusting to their teams, both athletes had to adapt to new workloads and balance school with sports.
Hartshorn-Harvey had a pretty easy time making the adjustment. He typically keeps himself busy after school, so filling that time with school work wasn’t much of a change. He usually only has an hour of homework after varsity practice and is able to relax for the rest of the night.
Brown had a little bit of a tougher time balancing school and sports because tennis players often miss school for matches. Though it was difficult, he was able to “fight through” to get all of his work done.
Both Brown and Hartshorn-Harvey have advice on the best way to succeed playing a varsity sport and academics.
Brown suggests being open with teachers and making sure that you are both “on the same page.” He says having good communication between players, coaches and teachers is important.
Hartshorn-Harvey believes that planning your day out, specifically using a planner, as well as checking StudentVue regularly can be really beneficial for staying on top of assignments.
Most importantly, they both urge players to have fun.
“I would just say to have fun because you’re going to miss these moments when you’re older and you have to work a normal 9 to 5,” Hartshorn-Harvey said.
