Freshmen, JV and varsity patches awarded each season
A Varsity jacket with the block “R”, class year numbers, and JV patch.
September 28, 2015
Many student atheletes vividly remember the moment when they got their precious varsity letter and picked up their brand new, smooth leather letterman jacket adorned with their team patches. They try it on and their heart can’t help but beat with pride for what they have accomplished.
Others may not be as excited for that moment, as they don’t spend much time playing and don’t see themselves as a key player.
Sophomore Hunter Schattler, who played varsity basketball as a freshman, has a stern opinion on giving letters to just any player.
“I just think it’s unfair,” Schattler said. “A guy who rides the bench and never shows up to optional practices getting the same letter as a player who might not play much either but shows up to everything and gives one hundred percent. It’s not right.”
At RHS, athletes earn participation certificates at the end of each season. Varsity football coach and economics teacher Erik Vernon thinks participation awards at the high school level might be unnecessary.
“It’s a bit of a blanket statement,” Mr. Vernon said. “Good and bad things come with these participation awards. For younger kids maybe. It would encourage them to keep playing, but for the older guys I’d say no. Are you simply going to be rewarded for just being active?”
According to athletic director Mr. Luke Beach, standards are set in place to get these letters so kids actually put in some work.
“Here at Rochester, most teams have certain requirements to get a letter,” Mr. Beach said. “For example you have to be on the field for 20 percent of the season to get a letter in a certain sport.”
In addition to participation awards, freshman are typically awarded their graduation year number patches and JV members receive the circle JV patch.
“I don’t believe that freshman and JV should be awarded patches,” Mr. Beach said. “I believe they should wait until they are on Varsity to receive all those patches.”
Because not every athlete who plays freshman and JV will eventually play varsity, some wonder if the cost associated with those patches is worth it.
“It doesn’t cost a lot to buy the patches,” Mr. Beach said. “But to continue buying them for so many sports year after year, it starts to add up.”
Schattler has his own thoughts on the JV and Freshman awards.
“I just think it would push kids to try harder. If those kids make varsity, the feeling will be just more satisfying when they get all those patches at once,” Schattler said. “In the end, I’m just happy to able to play these sports and rep the school ya know? The awards are just an extra incentive.”
Sierra Murtha • May 10, 2019 at 9:58 pm
My school’s track team gives out varsity letters to those who have scored 17+ points and have been to all the meets although we are considered a “coed varsity” as there are no tryouts. I think this is fair because even someone who runs at a JV level can sill earn lots of points which get them their varsity letter. For other sports like basketball, as long as you make the varsity team you get a letter. For the JV team, you get a tiny patch with the sport icon (e.g. a tiny basketball) that would get put on the fabric of your letter and not on your jacket (just like your varsity pins!). It’s up to your own interpretation, but JV sports CAN be written on your letterman’s as they are to display your overall accomplishments and not your highest levels of achievement. That is why many people get their letterman jackets before they even have their letter. I think this is fair because your ? ? ? awarded along the way and your overall goal doesn’t seem so far away as to make you think that you’ll never be able to get their. If you dial it down too much, these things just seem too out of reach. As for participation awards, once you get to high school, generally people still get them, however they really don’t mean anything unlike what they mean for a little kid. There are “Academic Scholar” awards at my school as well where if you receive a 3.0 GPA or above that you get an additional certificate as well as small plaques for other Stella achievements on Varsity and JV.
Ila • Jul 26, 2016 at 5:42 am
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