PREPNET / SPEAK OUT

Do you agree that freshmen, with some exceptions in football, should be able to compete in high school versity sports?

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HECTOR AMBRIZ

Valencia, Baseball

If you have the skills to play a varsity sport you should be able to. My friend, Mike Sola at Esperanza, was good enough to play varsity last year as a freshman but he played for the freshman team. He did get to go up for the first day of CIF [Southern Section playoffs], though. That was good.

TRICIA THOMS

Foothill, Softball

After being a Foothill varsity softball player for four years, I know that our freshmen make a huge impact every year. This year, Caitlin Lowe, who is also a freshman, is leading our team in batting with an average of .385 and is also leading our team in stolen bases with 15. If a freshman is able to compete on the varsity level, then she should be allowed to do so, especially if she can make as big an impact as our freshmen have made on our team.

BARBIE BAYLESS

Sunny Hills/Oklahoma/USC, Tennis

If freshmen have the talent and ability, then freshmen should be able to compete at the varsity level. It takes all of the fun out of competition if you hold someone back. Ability is ability, and if you have a freshman that is better than a senior, then the freshman should play ahead of the senior, regardless of age. I was a four-year varsity tennis player at Sunny Hills, and I can’t imagine if they wouldn’t have allowed me to play varsity my freshman year. It would have been a waste of my time, and I wouldn’t have competed for my high school. I played tennis for the University of Oklahoma, and though college sports is a whole different level, there is no favoritism shown to the older more experienced players on a team. A freshman can be the No. 1 player on a team. It all comes down to ability, not age.

ALISON COSTELLO

Esperanza, Track, Cross-Country

I agree that freshmen in high school should be able to compete in varsity sports, as long as they are as competitive and have the necessary physical skills to be equal or better than other varsity players, regardless of age, size or how long they played the sport. If you have special talents or exceptional athletic ability, you should be given an equal and fair chance to be considered for that varsity sport. As an example, if a freshman can run faster in a track event than another varsity athlete, or play a position in a team activity better than an existing varsity player, she should be given an equal opportunity to make that team. I also strongly believe it depends on the sport and the coach. The coach should be able to decide whether an athlete is ready to be placed on the varsity level. Safety should be an issue in certain sports and the coaches should be aware of any dangers involved playing with larger or older students. *

NEXT QUESTION

If you could make one change about sports at your school, what would it be?