Last year, sophomore Brooke Krier joined the softball team as a swing – which meant she played on JV and varsity. Her career as a swing swiftly ended, however.
“I went to a concert instead of playing in one of the games. Then my coach just told me to turn in my varsity uniforms the next day. I just gave them to her the next day, and she told me I would no longer be a swing anymore,” Krier said.
In Colorado, Creek has won the most state championships out of any high school. However, such athleticism is often achieved with underclassman assistance. Underclassmen are often put into swing positions in order to balance games, practice, and camps. Often, these swing players have to balance the pressure of being a varsity player, while still being an underclassman.
“Sometimes I feel bad for them because they’re attending varsity and JV games so they get out of school early and don’t leave the fields until like 8 p.m,” Krier said.
Sophomore Ethan Gearheart, an underclassmen in men’s junior varsity tennis disagrees.“It’s very flexible and you can just change schedules,” Gearheart said. “I haven’t heard of anyone not being able to play at all.”
However, it can be difficult for players to balance playing and schoolwork with Creek being so academically inclined.
“This place is a fantastic environment for sports, however we are at our core a high performing high school.”freshman football defensive coordinator Tyler Fischels stated.
Fischels further expanded on why it can be so difficult in Creek for male underclassmen in varsity. “Boys in general take longer to develop some of the executive functioning skills required. Thus, several of our freshmen every year struggle with organizing homework, staying on top of tests, and general school skills,” Fischel said.
While boys are more likely to academically underperform, this problem isn’t sex-specific. “A pattern that I see a lot in freshmen is that they usually aren’t ready for the fast pace of play at the beginning of the season. It is also a struggle for most to balance grades and school right off the bat when entering high school,” head varsity coach of women’s softball, Abby Marlow said.
Finding a way to manage academics and sports can be difficult for the majority of underclassmen; which makes it tough to be in varsity.
“It is really hard for freshman to come into a new school, especially Creek, and get organized with all of their classes and practices all at once,” Marlow said.
