Victor Senior High School is full of competitive and prestigious sports teams. Our school is known for having a remarkable athletics program. With this in mind, Victor has always had exceptional basketball, lacrosse, and football programs. Even though these programs are top-tier, a few younger athletes have proven age is nothing compared to raw talent. I recently interviewed varsity athletes Allie Pisano, Eric Young, and Randy Johnson about their experiences as freshmen while a part of a competitive varsity sports team. 

Their sports have always been an important part of their lives. Eric has been playing football since first grade while Allie and RJ have been playing their sports since second grade. Eric’s work ethic, RJs urgency and intensity on the court, and Allie’s passion helped them get to where they are now as players.

When talking about the process of being pulled up and tryouts, they all spoke about the tough competition they faced and the intimidation of the older and past varsity players. Each of them had teammates who stuck by them. Eric said he was thankful for all of the seniors on the team for helping him. RJ was also thankful for all of the seniors, especially Cam Ryan for helping to guide him. Allie was grateful to Devin Livingston for being a positive role model for her and Maggie Allen for being her support system. Without these people, their “experiences wouldn’t have been the same.”

Overcoming the challenges of being the youngest on the team set them up for success in the future.

In the beginning of his season, Eric spoke about how “At first, it was difficult being the youngest person on the team, but as time went on, it was easier to adapt after getting used to the routine on varsity.” 

RJ said how “It was hard to adapt to a very well-organized team that won states prior, but with hardwork, I got used to it.” 

For Allie, the experience  was “Hard because [she] had little confidence in the beginning, but as practices continued [she] got more confident which helped [her] to play better.”

All 3 athletes spoke about their development when being faced with difficulty adapting to the varsity environment. Eric highlighted that he developed leadership roles while learning the best ways to respond to adversity. RJ spoke upon the fact that his experience helped him to build confidence and maturity. Allie said how being pulled up forced her to adjust to challenges and made her become a better version of herself. 

With successful seasons last year, all three strive for both personal and team growth. This upcoming season, Eric’s goal is to build good team chemistry and win a sectional title. RJ’s team goal is to make it to another sectional championship while having fun. Allie’s goal for her team is to keep competing in their section and hopefully move on to states again.

These few athletes, along with many others in years past, have set the bar high for upcoming players and for the Victor athletic programs as a whole. Their tenacity, diligence, and hard work caused them to stand apart from other athletes, helping them to achieve their goals.