SCHOOLS: C teams act as backbone for high school sports

Today’s teen sports programs have evolved from school-specific competition teams to all-inclusive club sports, to a combination of both and traveling competitive teams. High schools host a junior varsity (JV) or B team, and a varsity, or A team. The next in line, C team, was specifically created for incoming freshmen. C teams are a vital part of a sports progression and growth. Wasilla’s team sports of football and volleyball rely on their C teams as a foundation for their varsity programs.

Football coach Gabe Bailey said for the football program, freshmen are not allowed to “swing up” for safety reasons. But, in other sports, a freshman could see action in JV games, and sometimes varsity.

“C team is a safe way to indoctrinate them [new players] in the program,” Bailey said, “There is a big gap between a freshman and a junior, in terms of maturity and physical capabilities. C team puts players who are at the same skill level together and helps them learn.”

Senior Warrior football player Matt Trask agrees that the freshman on C team is the future of the program. Trask said that the C team starts building chemistry of a team while playing together. He added, “My freshman year was the best year playing team football.”

“C team helps build the proper skills and training for high school volleyball,” head volleyball coach Josie Cannon said, “There a big difference from middle school volleyball and high school volleyball.” The C team level is where the freshman learns the high school game.

This year former Wasilla High C team volleyball coach Drew Ford followed his players up the ranks as the coach for the Warriors’ JV team. Ford’s replacement, coach Katie Oxspring is excited to be a part of the Warrior volleyball team as the new C team coach.

C team volleyball is composed of mostly freshman and new players to the school. The players earn a spot on this team to learn the fundamentals of a team sports and grow closer as teammates. Keeping the freshman apart from the rest of the players have also proven as a way to keep the upperclassman harassment down. Fourteen and 15-year-olds — especially in a contact sport — benefit from being on teams with players their own age.

Chance brought Oxspring to WHS after she joined the Alaska Coaches Facebook page where head coach Josie Cannon had posted a job advertisement for the WHS C-team volleyball coach. And, her C-team players are glad she did while they rise to the challenges offered them.

“I feel that C team was important this year because it helped me get the chance to move up to JV by the end of the season,” WHS C team volleyball player Josi Schachle said, “I’m an outside hitter and coach Oxspring helped me learn the how to snap. I definitely wouldn't have grown so much if it wasn't for my team and my coach.”

Jesslyn Zhart is a senior at Wasilla High and a contributor to the Warrior Word and Daily News.