It’s still chilly, but spring is almost here, bringing a new sports season. There’s lots to participate in: baseball, boys’ and girls’ golf, boys’ and girl’s tennis, esports, softball, track & field and boys’ and girls’ lacrosse club. Many are no-cut sports, meaning anyone can play. However, you do still have to try out.
Most tryouts will be held the first week of March, with locations varying by sport. Every tryout schedule is different with all kinds of drills and exercises students are asked to perform.
Mahaela Horsford, a sophomore on the girls’ club lacrosse team, describes her experience.
“It’s pretty much a no-cut sport, so you’re gonna get a place, no matter what,” Horsford said. “How lacrosse works, because we don’t usually have enough players for two full teams, is we have a JV team and a varsity team, along with JV swingers and varsity swingers. There are four positions you can possibly get. There’s full varsity, where you only play varsity, and full JV, where you only play JV. If you’re a JV swinger, you’ll play four quarters of a JV game and two-quarters of a varsity game, and if you’re a varsity swinger, you’ll play four quarters of a varsity game and two-quarters of JV.
While the end goal of tryouts is always a spot on a team, there are other parts of the process that students enjoy.
“The most fun part of tryouts is how the JV and varsity players are all together,” Horsford said. “It’s really fun, and we get to make meaningful connections. We also kind of bond over the dread of doing the fitness tests.”
While Horsford is trying out for lacrosse, sophomore Elizabeth Erland will be at Tualatin High School’s softball tryouts. Erland explains what those are like.
“Usually it’s just kind of a mix of different stuff you do,” she said. “The first two days we work on skills, and the coaches see what you can do. On the last day of tryouts, we do a little scrimmage with everyone, and it’s always really fun. We have a varsity and a JV team. The coaches during tryouts see where you’re best fit for.”
The social part of the tryouts is also a draw for many athletes.
“The most fun part for me is hanging out with all my friends, and just doing what we love to do together,” Erland said.
Though sports can be draining, they give students the opportunity to bond with amazing people from all grades, and form connections that’ll make it worthwhile. If you’d like to try out for any spring sports, be sure to fill out an athletic sports registration form, which can be found on the Tualatin High School Athletics website.
