By Mae Mae ’27
As an incoming seventh-grader, I remember the first day of sports relatively well. I remember the confusion everyone experienced at one point or another during their first sports encounters, and I remember the frustration that accompanied it. As I progressed through these few days’ worth of the unknown, I kept a mindful eye, scouting for tips and tricks that future approaching seventh-graders might want to know. Here are a few things to know for your first day of sports in Harvard-Westlake.
Firstly, clarification. Constantly, questions appear in the minds of parents and students alike that seek an answer. You’ve signed up for sports- but what are all the details behind that? Uniforms, different protocols, and where to check for game times are all things that were unclear to me as I entered my first season of Harvard-Westlake volleyball. To avoid walking into a new environment with questions still present, I’m here to answer these before they even need to be.
The Harvard-Westlake sports uniform policy is simple. In Physical Education, only wear clothing branded with the Harvard-Westlake logo- to show team spirit. Basketball shorts, quick-dry tees, and sweatpants already sporting the signature school “HW” can be found in the bookstore. During your first few days on campus, it might be a good idea to swing by and get some clothing before Physical Education classes begin. You can wear these same clothes for after-school practices when the specific sports start. Alternatively, you can bring your athletic wear to the campus. If you do this, you don’t have to match the school colors. All that matters is that your sports clothing is flexible and movable!
Sports protocols and rules will be instituted by your coaches, presumably on the initial days of practice. Anything unclear should be the teachers’ job to clarify. Usually, you want to come into sports aware of how long it lasts and if you’re catching the late bus or arranging a parent to pick you up. Bring a water bottle at all times, particularly a reusable one you can fill up using the dozens of water fountains stationed around campus. And don’t worry, these are one-hundred percent Covid safe.
Finally, we come into contact with online complications. Where can I check game times? When are games and practices? All of these are questions I’ve had to clarify. Fortunately, I’ve picked up a few tricks during the first month-or-two of wandering my way around campus aimlessly, asking questions to everyone I see. HW.com will become a new student’s best friend for checking and double-checking bits of information they are unsure of. On the student portal of the Harvard-Westlake website (found in the top right corner of the homepage!), there is a panel personalized for your student-self labeled “My Schedule & Events.” Scrolling to the very bottom of that same page, you’ll see the sports schedule, including times and places, of all your sports games for the season. Problem solved!
Every seventh-grade student at any school has been through first-day anxiety. Getting lost on the campus, being late to all your first classes, forgetting to set up your alarm clock for the morning, and confusion on extra-curricular activities. I hope that this blog has cleared up a few things about getting situated in your daily life at Harvard-Westlake.
