As warmer weather rolls in and mid-March approaches, high school spring sports begin. This means that CHS students start to commute to their home schools, Skyline, Pioneer and Huron High School, to participate in competitive athletics and represent their home teams. CHS athletes comprise a significant portion of the student body at Community High School, and the experience of attending another school to participate in a sport is a unique aspect of student life at CHS that requires additional commitment and coordination.
Practices and tryouts are already underway for women’s spring sports, including lacrosse, water polo, tennis and softball. The spring season officially began on Monday, March 9. For these athletes, the spring season presents an opportunity to compete, strengthen team bonds and further develop their skills.
For many athletes, like CHS sophomore Anna Chomistek, who participated in women’s lacrosse tryouts for Pioneer High School, the first week of the season can be both exciting and nerve-racking. Meeting new teammates, regaining fitness and adjusting to a new season and time commitment can feel intimidating at first, but players like Chomistek notice the nerves fade quickly once practice begins.
“I felt super nervous because all these girls are super fast,” Chomistek said. “But it was super fun, and the first-day jitters mostly went away.”
During the offseason, Chomistek competed in club lacrosse with MD Lax, which helped her stay active and prepare for this year’s tryouts. Chomistek thought lacrosse tryouts went really well overall. Although she made some mistakes, the experience was fun, and she had a great time working with returning and new players.
Regarding team dynamics, Chomistek feels that this season is already much more comfortable than last year, when she was a freshman.
“The lacrosse team feels much more of a team than my field hockey team felt, and all the girls are super welcoming,” Chomistek said. “Last year, it was a lot scarier because I was a freshman, and I was much more hesitant.”
Sophie Goetsch is another CHS athlete, and she began her spring season of softball at Pioneer High School. Goetsch felt the first day of tryouts was exciting because she was able to reconnect with teammates she played with last year.
“It was a lot of fun seeing people I played with last year,” Goetsch said. “And it was good to get exercise.”
Although resuming her sport after some time off felt a little awkward at first, Goetsch noticed she quickly settled back into the team. She believes playing sports at another school can be more of a positive experience than a scary one.
“I think it’s a good way to branch out and get to know people from other schools,” Goetsch said. “It’s always a good way to make friends in the community.”
CHS sophomore Liliana Amjadi Klass began her spring season playing water polo for Huron High School. This is her first year competing for Huron, as she previously played the sport with Club Wolverine.
At first, Amjadi Klass was worried that she might feel like an outsider. However, she soon realized how welcoming the team was and became excited to meet her new teammates and coaches.
“It was actually really fun,” Amjadi Klass said. “Everyone was very welcoming, and it seems like there’s a great team dynamic.”
Amjadi Klass believes that playing a sport at another school can sometimes be challenging, but it also creates opportunities to build connections with people students might not otherwise meet. Even with a large team at Huron, she has already started getting to know many new people.
Being part of the team also means representing women in a historically male-dominated sport. For Amjadi Klass, that makes playing water polo even more meaningful as more women continue to join the sport.
“I think it’s always good to be breaking barriers,” Amjadi Klass said. “Women’s water polo is getting bigger.”
For senior Emily Walker, the start of the spring season means returning to the tennis courts at Skyline High School. Walker has been playing tennis for about four years and has also trained outside of school at Huron Valley Tennis Club and Liberty Athletic Club.
Even though this is Walker’s third year playing for Skyline, this season brought a new challenge: a much larger group of players. The team welcomed many newcomers, including 15 freshmen. Despite the influx of new teammates, Walker is excited to reconnect with the people she does not usually get to see.
“I was very excited to see everyone again,” Walker said. “But I was also a little sad because it’s my last season.”
Throughout the challenges that come with traveling to other schools for sports, Walker is confident that the experience is very positive, and it can even be fun getting to go to a different school.
As the spring season begins, CHS athletes continue adjusting to the new team, new schedules and the excitement of competition. For many of them, the opportunity to play sports and represent their teams makes the extra effort worth it.
