High school seems so far away but in reality, it is right around the corner for all 8th graders. Now, more than ever is the perfect time to look for a fun sport, not only to compete in but also share great experiences and memories with your fellow teammates. Athletics is a great option to take instead of regular P.E. in your highschool experience. 

As a middle school feeding into both Esperanza and Yorba Linda High school there is a great selection in athletics, offering over 20 different sports to choose from. All sports are offered to all students even as a freshman. A handful of sports do not require a tryout but most do. Before the school year starts, the high schools offer summer camps for all the sports offered. These camps consist of training for your chosen sport; lasting about a week to two weeks. Participating in camps is not mandatory but is a great way to get recognized by the coach before tryouts start. 

One of the best things about competing at a high school, there is a chance to play multiple sports. Students are not limited to one sport but instead get the option up to three different sports. As long as the athletics are taking place in different parts of the school year, either a fall, winter or spring, a student can become a multisport athlete. Among the sports offered by the school, there will be two to three different competitive levels to tryout for, depending on how popular the sport is. Like soccer, one of the more popular sports, it will offer a Varsity, Junior Varsity and a Fresh-Soph team. Most of the other sports will only offer Varsity and Junior Varsity. The teams offered vary from sport to sport, depending on how many people can fill the roster based on tryouts and number of coaches. 

“I will be competing in cross country. I haven’t been on a cross country team before, but I am excited to try it.” -Olivia Reed (8th Grade)

Everyone is allowed to compete in a High School sport, as long as they meet two major requirements. First the student must pass a physical and submit it to the school and sport team. Basically, seeing if they are physically able to participate in a sport. A physical consists of checking vital signs like heart rate, blood pressure, etc. This must be repeated annually to continue playing a high school sport. Usually the high schools offer a physical for the students but because of COVID-19, they will, more than likely, not offer it this year. There is always the option of getting a physical at the doctor’s office no matter the situation.  Either way it is still mandatory. The second requirement is to register onto FamilyID. This program keeps track of personal information in order to compete against other schools. Once all the information is added, the next following year, the form must be re-signed but all information is safed. Once these two essential protocols are met, the athletes are free to participate in summer camps, try out for a sports team, and play for either Yorba Linda or Esperanza High school.  

Do not forget to save the date for April 28, 2021, a Wednesday to hear the athletic directors speak from both schools, one for Yorba Linda High School and the other for Esperanza High School. The first zoom is at 8:15am to 8:45am hosted by Jeff Platt for the Yorba Linda High School. For the second zoom, it will take place during the Travis Ranch lunch period from 11:41am to 12:11pm for Esperanza High School conducted by Keri Walters. Athletics is a great involvement to add to anyone’s high school adventure.