Many CHS students return to their home high schools to play sports. Some students began doing this as early as freshman year and began playing varsity their starting year.

Senior Kat Holtz of Hazlet did not expect to start varsity as a freshman but did. She accomplished this after beating out a senior in a “jump off” for pole vault in track and field, however some of her teammates were not supportive of this feat.

“They shunned me,” Holtz said. She explained that the pressure was on for the rest of the season to stay on varsity while others competed against her for the spot.  

“Despite the tension between the clique and I, I truly believe their competitive attitudes helped me work harder to reach my full potential,” Holtz said.

Meanwhile, senior Sydney Foo Siam of Millstone chose not to play varsity tennis her freshman year.

“I wanted to get adjusted to high school and make sure I would be able to handle the accelerated workload at CHS before adding more to my plate,” Foo Siam said.

Foo Siam said this allowed her to train and prepare to be at the varsity level when she started her sophomore year. She said she believes that starting sophomore year was better because she knew what to expect school wise and from tennis.

Senior Dani Delgado of Hazlet joined Raritan High School’s swim team as a freshman and has swam every year since. Shortly after joining, she swam for the varsity team, which meant racing in multiple races every meet. Although she was excited to be swimming alongside the best of her home school, Delgado said the pressure made her nervous.

“I wanted to prove that I could swim just as well as the seniors and that I could handle four races every meet,” Delgado said.

“Well now, my worries revolve around whether or not I improve from season to season. I’m going into my senior year and while I am excited to get new fantastic swimmers joining my team, I also want to be the type of captain that they can look up to and always competes well.”

While making varsity freshmen year is a difficult feat for many, these girls succeeded in their athletic endeavors despite the challenges and stress they found along the way.