Disparities and Differences: JSchool and Highschool Sports

All students, no matter the grade level, are required to participate in athletics for all three seasons. This requirement can be fulfilled through a team, informal, or independent sport. Andrew Meisel ’28 said, “Team sports are good for community building because they are an easy way to informally meet new people.” Informal sports give students who do not want to participate in competitive sports an opportunity to stay active during a block in the school day. Kenley Cox ’28 said, “Doing an informal sport helped me stay active while still having fun when I’m not doing a team sport.” Students who participate in independent sports can continue to give time to their out of school activity without having to join a team or spend a free block with an athletic commitment. Natalie Billings ’27 said, “I loved doing an independent sport because I got to keep doing ballet outside of school instead of leaving something I loved.” 

Although Junior School and Upper School sports have similarities, they have different time commitments and competition levels. Junior School team sports and informals are built into the school day and practices take place during an extended 80 minute D block. High school sports are played outside of school hours, with practices every day after school, normally from 3:45 to 5:30. Games and matches normally take place on Wednesday afternoons and weekends. Most high school sports play games against Fairchester Athletic Association (FAA) opponents, but they also play against other New England Prep schools that are not a part of the FAA, such as Choate and Loomis. Playing schools throughout New England adds a travel commitment that will sometimes result in an early dismissal from class, and teams will not return to school until the evening. Junior School teams play games less frequently and are lower stakes because the teams do not play FAA schedules. Instead, they play schools that are closer such as the Foote School and Hamden Hall. Teddy Shin ’29 emphasized the difference: “High school sports take more time and commitment than Junior School sports.” 

With the lower pressure and commitment, students who participated in Junior School sports shared parts of the program that they enjoyed. Maeve Phipps ’27 liked the timing of the sports during the school day stating, “I loved having practice in the middle of the day because it gave me a chance to take a break from the stress of schoolwork and do something I love.” Shin agreed, “It was fun to do during the day.” Other students enjoyed being able to connect with more of their classmates, such as Willa Kennedy ’29 who said that Junior School sports “were very fun and a good way to meet new people who I didn't often talk to at school.” By giving students the opportunity to join a team and participate in challenging practices, Arjun Vashist ’27 said that Junior School sports “give good preparations for high school sports.” 

While Junior School sports lend a strong foundation for what high school sports will be like, students believe that the jump is still very difficult at all levels. Vashist said, “High school sports are a bit more intense compared to junior school sports.” Matthew Weng ’27 agreed, “Junior school sports were more informal and about familiarizing with the sport while varsity is more structured and competitive.” He continued, “There is also a lot more individual responsibility in varsity sports.” Meisel expressed the difference in pressure of making teams and playing in games: “It isn’t really a thing in Junior School.” Phipps said that eventually she learned how to deal with the pressure of high school sports, “I played a lot more free and started building confidence that I plan on using for my final two seasons.”

 While most do not have to deal with the difficulties of varsity athletics until they enter high school, there are a number of students who were on varsity teams in Junior School. Kate Wagner ’28, who played Varsity Field Hockey and Softball in seventh and eighth grade emphasized the challenge of her age difference compared to the people she would play. She stated, “It was difficult because I was 12 playing with and against 18 year olds.” Although students have an advantage when it comes to athletics, they are not able to have the same schedule as high school students. Free blocks are not built into Junior School schedules, so junior school students who play varsity athletics only get a D block study hall during the day to do their work. Kennedy struggled with the balance of academics and athletics saying, “It was challenging to play a sport after school, because I only had D block study hall and was also playing travel softball during the school season.” Phipps mentioned the pressure she felt playing varsity sports during Junior School. She said, “The most difficult part of playing on a varsity team as a junior schooler was being nervous…I always wanted to be perfect and not let the team down, which caused me to overthink and be too hard on myself.”

Overall, Junior School athletics provide a valuable stepping stone into high school sports, providing a basic structure and learning necessary skills to contribute and be a part of a team. While the jump between levels adds a larger time commitment and greater intensity in practices and games, Junior School sports help build the foundation for students to make the transition to high school. Billings said, “Junior School sports taught me how to be a good team player and work together with my teammates before I joined varsity and JV sports. If I hadn’t done Junior school sports, my high school experience wouldn't have been the same."