Rayleigh Peeples
Landon Critchlow (second from right) sits with his team before a basketball game in Dec. 2024.
It’s freshman year and where in the sports do freshmen go from here. Are students an individual sport freshman or do they want the camaraderie of a team to reach their potential. There are team sports that freshmen can participate in that are beneficial to student athlete fitness and academic health. Sophomore Landon Critchlow plays for the AHS Indians basketball team.
“It felt great even though I wasn’t a big part of it, but it felt great getting the experience from the older guys,” Critchlow said.
By playing on the Anderson Varsity boy’s basketball team, Critchlow shows that it is good for a freshman to learn from the older guys and give you advice that you can take on and use as you grow athletically in the years to come. The coaches were helpful and instrumental in making the big adjustment from middle school to high school. Critchlow continues,
“By playing with the older guys and the coaches, they helped me go through drills that will help as I continue to pursue playing for the Varsity team.” Critchlow says.
“I was given extra time to learn if I didn’t get it at first because of my youth and inexperience.”
Therefore the coaching staff is a big part of what can help you with coming in as a freshman on a team sport with teammates surrounding you. With that you can get great advice from the coaches to help you if you want to only play in high school or if you want to pursue your sport beyond the gymnasium. The coaching staff bring a world of experience from colleges and places all around the world. Critchlow’s advice to any freshman who wants to make a sports team early is taking time out of their day to workout.
“ Stay consistent, keep coming everyday, keep showing up ready to work and you are going to see results.”
Those results will stack in small gains and ultimately become your goal of playing on a high level.