by Yohwan Cha, staff reporter
All WJPS high school students are encouraged to participate in Francis Lewis athletic teams. If an athlete is planning on trying out for a team, they must be good at that particular sport, and have a knowledge of the game beforehand.
Most athletic teams in Francis Lewis have two levels of competition, junior varsity (JV) and varsity, for the different skill levels of many different players. The competition on the Varsity level is the more competitive of the two levels of the team, making the Varsity level of the team more difficult to join than the Junior varsity level.
Freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors are allowed to play/tryout for varsity, but only underclassmen such as Freshman and Sophomores are allowed to play for JV.
Tryouts are for the coaches to see which players are good enough for a spot on the team, or has the potential to become a great player and is also a place for many people to go and compete against one another for a few spots on the team.
Tryouts can become very competitive because so many people want to be on the team but there are few spots on the team for players. In some rare cases, there is what is called a “walk-in”. “Walk-in’s” are when whoever comes with the intention of joining the team and you are automatically on the team.
Being on an athletic team can affect your schedule in many ways, because practice and games can take up a majority of your time. To be on a team and remain there, a one must not fail or be failing any classes and this can affect many students chances of joining a team. Passing classes while playing on a team can be very difficult, so a student athlete would have to manage their time wisely.
WJPS Junior Nikitas Troumouhis
Yohwan Cha : What did you have to do to prepare yourself for the tryouts?
Nikitas Troumouhis : Putting up a lot of shots, like free throws, layups, jump-shots, mid-range, and three pointers, and a lot of conditioning for the long runs you will endure.
YC : What is the competition like on when you’re on the Francis Lewis athletic teams?
NT : The competition on a Varsity team will make a weak person crumble with all the game-pressures and standards that comes with playing on a high school Varsity team.
YC : How do you manage your time between school work and athletics?
NT : A true athlete is one who can manage and make time for everything.
YC : What are some advantages and disadvantages to joining an athletic team?
NT : Some advantages would be that you would get physically stronger and depending on your coach, you can get smarter because the coach will push you because in order to stay on the team you have to do well in school. Some disadvantages is that practices are long, you have to be fully focused on your sport, which can cause you to give less effort on other things.
WJPS Junior Costas Mastoras varsity soccer player
YC : What did you have to do to prepare yourself for the tryouts?
CM : “I had to play soccer almost all the time, so that I can get better.”
YC : What is the competition like on when you’re on the Francis Lewis athletic teams?
CM : “It’s very difficult and takes a lot of hard work to play with the other players.”
YC : How do you manage your time between school work and athletics?
CM : “It is extremely difficult because I have practice until six in the evening, then I come home and do all of my homework in a short amount of time.”
YC : What are some advantages and disadvantages to joining an athletic team?
CM : “Disadvantages can be spending less time on homework, which usually leads to lower grades and some advantages are if you play well and impress college coaches, you may be noticed and have a better chance of getting accepted into a good college and you push yourself to get better because of the competition on the team.”
WJPS Freshmen Tommy Mastoras varsity soccer player
YC : What did you have to do to prepare yourself for the tryouts?
TM : “I play soccer at least 5 days a week and practice a lot to get better.”
YC : What is the competition like on when you’re on the Francis Lewis athletic teams?
TM : “It’s very difficult, because I am a freshman and everyone is older and bigger, but hard work pays off.”
YC : How do you manage your time between school work and athletics?
TM : “It’s very hard because I get home everyday at six because of the practices, which leaves me very little time for me to do my homework.”
YC : What are some advantages and disadvantages to joining an athletic team?
TM : “Some disadvantages can be the lack of time I have on homework and school work, and the lack of time I have for myself. Some advantages of being on an athletic team are the new people you get to meet and spend time with on the team, and the coach pushes you and you become more disciplined.”
