As the winter athletics season kicks off at Berkeley High School, a sense of camaraderie is growing among the school’s new freshman athletes. With some athletic programs drawing a large number of students trying out, BHS is able to form freshman teams across various sports. This winter, fueled with bubbling excitement for the action packed months ahead, the freshman boys soccer team, the girls freshman and sophomore soccer team, and the freshman boys basketball team, have officially launched their seasons into full swing.
Transitioning to the large 3,000+ student body at BHS from a significantly smaller middle school can sometimes feel daunting or intimidating for some freshmen. However, having a group of peers of the same age to connect with and build friendships with, whether it be on the court or on the field, can help freshmen find a smaller and tighter community within the large campus at BHS. Charles Loeper, a BHS freshman on the boys freshman basketball team, shared how being part of a team has helped him find community in the large student body of BHS. “Being a freshman, it’s kind of nerve wracking, but knowing people through basketball and through sports can be reassuring,” Loeper said, “Just having your own community, people you spend so much time with and get to know so well, knowing they’ll support you, is so helpful.”
Similarly, Sofia Quezada-Hernandez, a BHS freshman on the girls freshman soccer team, appreciates how the team has helped her feel more connected to BHS and values the friendship opportunities the team has provided her. For Quezada-Hernandez, her teammates are more than just teammates, they’re family. “I’ve met a lot of cool people and I feel like the team’s becoming a family,” Quezada-Hernandez said, “Being part of a freshman team has helped me feel more a part of the BHS community.”
This importance of community is echoed by Kennan Yilmaz, a BHS freshman on the boys freshman soccer team, who values the opportunity to connect with fellow freshmen. “Just at tryouts, I saw a lot of people that I haven’t really seen throughout the whole year and it was good to meet them,” Yilmaz said. For many students, forming friendships can be challenging, but being part of a team of fellow freshmen provides a space to meet new people and foster connections.
For some freshmen, playing with peers allows a chance to step into leadership roles that are usually more difficult to step into when playing with older teammates. Boys freshman soccer team player, Asa Charney-Weintraub, expressed how this opportunity is important to him, saying, “I think the team provides me an opportunity to be more of a leader, because usually I’m playing with people who are older than me.”