By: Evi Fromm

Spring sports have begun to see shifts in the number of athletes who come out to play. While the track teams are seeing high numbers, other sports such as boys’ tennis, girls’ softball, and girls’ lacrosse are struggling to pull in enough athletes.

Due to the change in the size of these teams, athletes have noticed that some of the team functions are beginning to change. “I think since this year is the most athletes we have ever had on the team that it’s more competitive since varsity is only the top two for each event,” Grace Atchison, a senior thrower on the Track & Field team, said.

Many of these sports are seeing younger, less-experienced athletes joining their teams. “This year, we have so many freshmen, it’s berserk,” Reese McBride, a junior on the varsity softball team, said. “Some of these girls came up from middle school softball and some are just now trying the sport this year.”

“This year there are definitely more players that have either never played before or only played a couple of times,” sophomore tennis player Jonah Grismer said. “So the JV team is doing a lot more learning and less reinforcing of past knowledge and skills.”

Athletes speculate about what is causing the shift in numbers. “Throughout my high school career, our numbers have been slowly falling,” Bella Vaughn, senior captain of the Girls’ Lacrosse team, said. “I think this is a result of the 2020 pandemic due to students not having the ability to begin sports in middle school.”

Vaughn and other athletes hope to see growth in Bellbrook’s team numbers in the coming years due to the continuously growing youth programs for numerous sports.

The athletes themselves have been working hard to convince other students to try new things and encourage them to join a team the next time they get a chance.

“Lacrosse is truly the best sport I have ever been exposed to,” Vaughn said. “I would encourage everybody to at least try it out and see how you like it. The girls I have played with throughout the last four years have come to be my best friends on and off the field. Getting engaged with a new sport and trying something new could change your life for the better!”