WHS has changes coming regarding the distribution of varsity letters. Over the course of this year, the administration will be working on new criteria that will allow students participating in interscholastic extracurriculars to obtain a varsity letter. I for one see no purpose in opening up the floodgates for anyone to be able to receive a varsity letter.
In 2017, New Jersey revised and began implementing a new law that states participants in certain interscholastic extracurricular activities may earn a varsity letter, meaning that not just athletes will have the privilege of obtaining these badges of honor that have been present since 1865. Governor Chris Christie signed this law, allowing school boards to choose who is eligible to receive a varsity letter outside of just varsity sports.
WHS recently announced its plan to incorporate this new law into the system. This law is Title 18A: 42-7 and will open up a plethora of opportunities for students to acquire varsity letters through after-school clubs, in a process that is drastically different from the original varsity letter requirements. However, this official criteria has yet to be set by WHS.
Varsity letters have been around for over a century and have been awarded to qualified varsity team members after they met certain criteria, such as participating in a required number of varsity games. So why change this system now?
Although I do agree that students who are putting in hard work to win competitions for robotics or math should be rewarded, I do not believe that it should be the same award given to athletes. Think about it like this: If there was a cooking competition, would you compare a steak and a cake on the same scale? No. So why are we now giving athletic awards to competitions that do not incorporate athletics?
With this new law, the true meaning of a varsity letter becomes lost. Athletes who have put in countless hours on the field or in the gym may start to feel that their talents are overlooked. While I do believe that soccer and singing, for example, both require a lot of time and hard work, I do not believe that they require the same type of work. Varsity athletes, especially at WHS, go through the wringer just to make the team, let alone contribute to the winning culture of Westfield. Singers and Mathletes are champions in their own right, but there should be no shared criteria between these differing types of competitions. The physical and mental exertion that is put into athletics is a commitment that has been honored through this letter for decades upon decades. Varsity letters are not just handed to athletes, and this should not be altered.
If schools simply start to hand out varsity letters to kids who just participate in certain extracurriculars, then the varsity letter might as well be renamed as a participation trophy. With the enforcement of this new law, potentially students who join a club and attend a minimum number of meetings a year and lack any real contribution to a “club win” could be rewarded with a letter. As opposed to weekly or monthly club meetings or activities, playing a varsity sport is a daily commitment that takes up several hours.
Participation in such extracurricular activities is equally as important as participating in sports, however, there is a difference in the type of work. These students should be awarded in some other form, one that does not question the integrity of this sacred athletic letter.
Making a varsity team is a goal that many kids dream of when they enter high school. WHS is an extremely competitive environment where kids constantly get cut and go up against tons of other students. The path to making a varsity team is a rigorous one. Participating in a club is different because everyone who signs up instantly becomes a member. Yes, there will be a basic criteria set that will somewhat limit who can obtain a varsity letter, but the road to becoming a club member is a lot easier than those who make a varsity sports team.
Varsity letters are a tradition that represents excellence and determination for athletes. There is no need to change this definition centuries later, instead we should be looking for a different type of award to give students who excel in activities, not water down the accomplishments of student athletes.
