As fall sports officially come to an end and the winter season approaches, many students are preparing to transition to different sports this winter. As Emerald High remains under development, Emerald athletes have remained at a competitive disadvantage due to other schools having more experienced competitors and well-established athletics departments. Nonetheless, Emerald was able to offer many sports this fall, and will continue to do so this winter for all Emerald students, that have helped the school’s sports department find its place among those of other California high schools. 

 The Fall Sports Ceremony has already been held in the Dublin High Library to mark the end of fall sports for the school year and celebrate the students who participated while managing to maintain a good GPA as an athlete. While fall sports included Girls Tennis, Girls Golf, Cheerleading, Football, and Cross Country, winter offers a new array of opportunities, specifically Girls Basketball, Boys Basketball, Girls Soccer, Boys Soccer, and Wrestling. 

However, being a part of Emerald sports has proven particularly challenging for Emerald students. Because Emerald hasn’t been fully built yet, most students on an Emerald sports team have had to share parts of the campus or stay long after school to be able to practice, awaiting availability of facilities. These difficulties can be seen in Emerald’s football team’s having to play on Dublin High’s football field during practices instead of on their own. Additionally, Girls Tennis faced similar challenges, with the entire team having to wait for the Dublin High tennis courts to open up between 5:00 and 5:30 after school in order to practice. 

Further, Emerald High’s student population is small, which can complicate the creation of sports teams and programs. Indeed, because the school is only made up of freshmen, most sports had a smaller team that had to go against competitors who were older, more experienced, and greater in number. 

However, there are also many benefits to participating in a sport at a new school like Emerald.  Due to how small Emerald is, there’s less competition to get on a team because there are more spots available for each sport. Nearly anyone can try out for any sport they’re interested in, whether they are experienced or not. This gives students the opportunity to learn new skills and develop a talent for a new activity. 

Tanvi Kollu, an athlete on Emerald’s Girls Varsity Tennis Team, shared her positive experience with this tennis season thanks to Emerald’s unique opportunities: “Due to the tennis team needing so many players, I was able to get on and make it onto the varsity tennis team. I don’t know if I would have had that opportunity if Emerald High had more experienced and older players,” Tanvi expressed. 

Although Emerald High School has yet to become a well-established school, the emergence of Emerald High sports goes to show that new and exciting opportunities are coming for Emerald students as the school year continues.