26 SPORTS
THE HARBINGER
design by bridget connelly
GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE
East students tryout for and join no-cut sports for a chance to be a part of a fun team, and enhance their high school experience
FUN
by ben bradley
A
S THE VARSITY and Junior Varsity
girls’ tennis teams begin their daily two-hour practice after school, junior Abry Steinbecher records her friends jumping over the net while hysterically laughing — their first full C-team match complete. The C-team, also known as blue and white team, is a no-cut section of the sport that allows players to better their skills with a team of friends in a less competitive way. C-team players may only compete against other schools once or twice a season, but most of their practices are scrimmages against one another without the stress and pressure of a real match. “The best part is that we are playing with [and against] all of our friends,” Steinbrecher said. “None of us are really ‘the best’ so it’s always funny to see everyone go out there.” Steinbrecher has played for the C-team both her freshman and junior years. What started as wanting to get involved at East led to laughing uncontrollably while having dance breaks in between points with her doubles partner. She doesn’t take the sport too seriously, making it a great way to play with girls at the same competition level. After seeing her c-team level friends have more time for a job and homework each night, junior Georgia McKee — who originally was on JV her freshman year — decided to play at the less competitive level. “I was always really stressed about homework and had a nannying job after school anyways,” McKee said. “There was no time for me to go to the [twohour] practices for JV.” So far this season, McKee has increasingly enjoyed the loosescheduled, laidback dynamic of the blue and white team. Instead of constantly working to be higher on the roster, she’s now at ease with being able to improve her skills in a more relaxed atmosphere. “I was definitely a better player on JV, it was more of a competitive atmosphere with lots of excitement,” McKee said. “There’s still a lot of energy on C-team, just in a more funny way.”
Each year, senior Lucy Ragland looks forward to her friends pairing up and deciding on a team name that will represent them throughout the season, a liberty that JV and Varsity don’t have. This year Ragland’s team name is “Groovy Hitters.”
T H E B E S T PA R T i s t h a t w e a re p l a y i n g w i t h [ a n d a g a i n s t ] a l l of o u r f r i e n d s . N o n e of u s a re re a l ly ‘ t h e b e s t ’ s o i t ’s a l w a y s f u n ny t o s e e ev e r yo n e g o o u t t h e re .
ABRY STEINBRECHER JUNIOR Although Ragland has been playing tennis since she was 11, she never had much interest in the intense commitment of being on JV and Varsity teams. As she starts her senior year, she wanted to enjoy it with her friends, even if that meant declining the opportunity to be on the JV team. “I emailed the coach and asked him not to put me on JV,” Ragland said. “I’ve been having fun on the C-team and won’t have time to balance the practices anyways.” Despite C-team being seen as a starting level for most players, these girls genuinely enjoy the atmosphere more than the rigorous schedule found on JV and Varsity. Whether it be walking with the team on Lancer Day or “swinging around” at practice, they always have a good time. All of the girls agree that the best part of the season is being able to walk down Mission Rd. with their friends for Lancer Day. Dressing up for the tennis float to represent something that matters to them — for reasons more than getting wins. “I’m not involved in anything else at East, if I wasn’t on tennis I would be on the junior float,” Steinbrecher said. “For me, it’s about being a part of something and being able to show off your activity to the entire school.”
H I G H R A C K E T J u n i o rs Georgia Mckee and Abry Steinbrecher share a h i gh racket du r i n g do u bles. PHOTO BY MACY CROSSER
THE LINEUP On the Blue and White teams, athletes are divided into groups, who have each given themselves the fun names as follows
SLICE GIRLS
BABY GOT BACKHAND
DARE DOUBLES
