People crowd into bleachers to cheer on their high school. The crowd goes wild as their teams show off the best of their athletics programs.

Fans love watching high school sports to see the best that their varsity teams have to offer. While junior varsity (JV) may not draw the same crowds, JV can be beneficial for all participating. JV programs help prepare athletes for the intensity of varsity competitions.

The JV teams are often focused more on improving the players and less on winning every game. This is the case with the JV softball team, who went 6-6 last season and had a blast.

“JV is more developmental with an emphasis on learning new skills,” said JV Softball Coach Bob Wingett. “The girls learned a lot of new skills and worked very hard.”    

“I loved softball so much, I really enjoyed getting to know the girls that were involved with both JV and varsity, ” commented sophomore Darcey Wingett, a JV athlete. “I enjoyed how much the JV girls really connected during the season and how much we all just loved playing together.”

JV cross country athletes also find benefits of participating.

“I definitely liked it… I would for sure do it again,” said JV cross country runner, sophomore Samantha Cordasco. “It was a different workout every day, and the coaches were all ready to help with whatever they could.”

For many students, JV sports offer a fun alternative where they don’t need to be the best athletes on the team to have fun. JV can also be a great way to help students improve at their sport and prepare athletes for varsity competitions.

“There is freedom and camaraderie in running with your [JV] teammates on our beautiful trails,” said Robert (Scott) Nalbach, assistant cross country coach. “It’s very rewarding to help our athletes improve, and it is great to give back to a sport that has brought me so much joy.”