Didn’t Make the Cut: Seniors and coaches give perspective on cuts at SME

This year, there were 13 girls whose faces fell as they frantically searched through the list of players who had made a basketball team, only to find out they had been cut. Two years ago, senior Sidney Riecker was one of those girls — she had been cut from the basketball team after she had been playing ever since she could remember and had no idea what she would do next. 

But when senior Katie Drake was cut from the soccer program her sophomore year, she had a not-so-midlife crisis. She had been playing soccer since she was in kindergarten, been on a club team since sixth grade and played C-team for East during her freshman year. In the moment, she felt embarrassed and wasn’t sure what to do, but Drake quickly figured out her next move.

Because of the high number of club athletes coming into high school sports at East, tryouts are more competitive, resulting in more cuts. But, as Riecker and Drake have learned, they were able to make whatever decision is best for them, whether that be seeking feedback from the coaches or trying other things out.

According to Riecker, although she had been playing basketball since elementary school, she felt that her heart not being in the sport anymore was one of the biggest reasons she was cut.

Both Drake and Riecker needed a change after being cut. While they still continue to do the sports they were cut from, they have each pushed themselves to try something new every year.

Growing up, Drake had always been a perfectionist whether it was from making powerpoints for group projects just the way she wanted them or trying to be the best at everything she did — soccer being one of them. Being cut from the team broke the cycle of constantly needing to have everything together. 

“After that, I forced myself to do something I’d never done before,” Drake said. “That year I did track and designed for the yearbook and wrote a story. And then this year I joined video productions and I’m mediocre or bad at all of them…but it can still be fun.”

Looking back, both Riecker and Drake agree that being cut from their sport was a learning experience for them and was ultimately for the better. Riecker was able to try out for tennis and bowling, while Drake became one of the photo editors for Hauberk. 

“During the spring that I didn’t play and the next fall, I got more into yearbook,” Drake said. “I knew at the beginning of junior year that I wanted to be [yearbook] photo editor, I just found things I was more interested in and I knew I wasn’t going to play soccer in college…it kind of seemed pointless [to try out again].”

Basketball coach Drew Steffen has encouraged students to continue playing the sport even if they get cut, through club teams or at their own home for fun. Both he and soccer coach James Kelly recommend getting better in the off-season and trying out the following year, despite Drake and Riecker deciding not to try out again.

“If you truly love playing basketball, you can play basketball,” Steffen said. “You can play at your house in the winter, you can go to the gym and play. There’s plenty of opportunities to play basketball, you have to want to do it.”

Each year at tryouts Kelly tries to share success stories of athletes who came back and made the team after being cut the previous year because he wants the players to know that getting cut is not the end of the world and that if they decide to try again, they can.

“I like those stories because it shows determination,” Kelly said. “It shows the person’s work ethic [and that they’re] willing to take adversity into their personal life because obviously if they try it out and didn’t make it, you know, that’s hard.”

When Drake was cut from the soccer team, she had to think about whether she was going to try out again next year and what she wanted to dedicate her time to.

“You have to make a conscious choice of whether you’re willing to commit that kind of time,” Drake said. “I knew I wasn’t gonna play in college. Most of my friends weren’t going to play again and I just found other things that I liked doing better.”

Both Kelly and Steffen agree on one thing — East sports are extremely competitive. A lot of high schoolers come in their freshman year having played a club sport since they were in elementary school. 

According to Riecker and Drake, if someone decided to not try out again, there are other options and ways to get involved at East. It opened their eyes to new experiences and wasn’t the end of the world.

“If you really love it and you had your mindset on it, you can always work hard during the off-season or join like a team and then try out the next year,” Riecker said. “Or if that’s not what you want to do, you can always find another thing that you’re interested in because especially in our school, we have so many different things to try.”