Kenny Hill

Orlando Cicilioni runs at a home meet for the varsity team.

It’s a sprint to the finish. The crowd’s cheering. The clock’s ticking. The high school athletes are finishing., but there’s a shorter figure among them. It’s 8th grader Orlando Cicilioni darting to the finish just as quickly as the others.

Cicilioni is one of many middle school athletes in varsity sports at Trinity Prep. In total, there are 29 middle school athletes competing in varsity sports during the 2016-17 school year. In order to participate on these teams, an athlete must first exhibit the exceptional skill and dedication that is required to play on the varsity level.

One of the sports practiced in the fall is cross country. On the boys’ side, the sport has had great success in Trinity’s history—winning four straight titles in the past four years alone. That in itself would make it difficult for any middle school student to even try out for the team—let alone make it. However, Cicilioni’s resolve and talent for the sport earned him a spot among the high schoolers.

“At first, I just saw cross country as a sport on the list, and I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll try that,’” Cicilioni said. “So I did. My determination to be first took me by surprise, and I’ve [continued] with running because I like to win.”

Then comes the winter season, and girls’ varsity weightlifting is a popular sport of choice. On this team, there were three middle school girls, including 8th graders Morgan Delerme, Alexis Roberts and Ellie Watson. For Watson, varsity was about the experience and the friends made in a tightly knit group.

“There were a lot of people I could look up to, people that I admired,” Watson said. “I made some really great friends on that team, and I can’t wait for next season. We did a lot of really fun stuff, and I made memories I’ll never forget.”

Finally comes the spring season, and varsity softball is up to bat. On this squad, there are five middle school girls, and among them is 8th grader Monroe Beute. She began to develop a love for the game and her skills as a softball player at a young age.

“When I was younger, I used to go in the backyard with my dad, and we would use use a whiffle ball and a bat and we used to hit,” Beute said. “I just loved it.”

For a middle schooler, playing on a varsity sport is  about more than the talent. It’s about the experience and the dedication as well. However, any talented middle school athlete must first prove himself or herself to a varsity coach.

According to softball Head Coach Dee Starling, there are many attributes that a middle schooler must possess in order to be on a varsity team—not just the physical characteristics, but also personality traits.

“[They need] the physical skills for the game, the physical strength, [and] the stature,” Starling said. “[Students] also need to show [that] they can manage their time with the academics, [and] they need to make sure they can handle the maturity as well.”

A middle school athlete must also meet the physical demand while being on the varsity team. Starling expects middle schoolers on varsity to be at the same level as the older athletes.

“I’ll have higher expectations [for] the older kids that are more experienced, but as far as the physical demands and putting forth the best that they have, absolutely,” Starling said.

As the boys’ varsity cross country coach, Ken Vinal has had great success in recent years, and he agrees with Starling about middle school athletes’ physical and mental capabilities.

“You have to take into consideration the mental maturity of the athlete because competing at the varsity level is more mentally taxing than at middle school level, [as] the competition is more intense and the seasons linger,” Vinal said. “Also, the physical maturity of a middle school versus [a] high school [athlete] is unequal and potentially dangerous in contact sports.”

Being on varsity as a middle schooler is no easy task, but with the added benefits of fiercer competition and intense training, varsity can be worth it for some.

“If you are ready to take on the physical and mental demands of varsity competition, give [it] a shot,” Vinal said.