Transitions can be hard, especially the huge jump from middle school to high school. Even though your middle school can be right next door, going to high school is a big difference. It’s a whole new world for freshman, and even the athletics are distinct from each other.

Athletes go from middle school to high school, going from season-long competitions to year long teams. They go from training in overall athletics during the school year to fine tuning their skills in one specific area all year long.

“It’s a lot more intense, but you get better,” Josh Pikoff, a freshman varsity cross country runner, said.  “It kind of makes middle school look like a joke.”

According to the freshman athletes, one of the the overall differences between middle school and high school is the responsibility.

“You have to come every day, you have to always be on time, and you have to reach a certain goal every day,” Chloe Gross, a freshman cross country runner on the JV team, said. “It’s more work but it’s better.”

Another main difference between middle school and high school to the athletes is that it means something more.

“It’s a lot different, there’s a lot more people that you are competing against,” Hailey Hoffman, a freshman basketball player, said. “It means something more than just a district championship.”

Some freshmen even claim that the level of ability in the sport differs between middle school and high school.

“There’s a very different level of game play,” Beau Howard, a freshman football player, said.  “It’s very fast compared to middle school.”

Because of this added responsibility, meaning, and level of gameplay, the freshman can all agree that high school is more intense than middle school. Because of this, some say they gain more from their sports.

“I’ve loved running since eighth grade, but now I’ve really found a passion for it,” Natalie Ohlsen, a freshman cross country runner, said. “It’s really cool to bond with people, run every single day, and get better at it. I really enjoy it.”

Because of high school myth, sometimes freshmen walk into teams of upperclassmen expecting to be picked on. But, the freshman talk about how supporting and kind their teammates are.

“Everyone is super welcoming, and very nice. We’ve really gotten to bond with them, it’s like you have your own family,” Annie Stadthaus and Kianna Nelder, two freshman volleyball players said. “You get to know everyone on all four teams.”