By Miata Wallace
Jaida Jackson and Tyren Baker are both 14-year-old Varsity players. Jaida Jackson a sophomore player on the Volleyball team and Tyren Baker a freshman on the football team are already starting their high school years off with a bang in the sports world.
I asked Jaida if being the youngest on the team was a disadvantage and she answered, “ When I first got to Lincoln High people really didn’t know me so they where shy towards me, but the team was really nice. It can be a disadvantage sometimes like when I try to give the older girls tips on playing volleyball.” She is a starter as a middle hitter and a blocker. She thinks she should be on varsity because she has worked so hard starting her 7th grade year at being a good volleyball player. She is the only one in her family that plays/plated volleyball. Even though she loves volleyball she has decided that she does not want to continue this sport in college. She wants to go to college and become an ob/gyn to deliver babies. When I asked Varsity Coach Rychecky to describe Jaida she said, “ She has a great personality and has fit in well with the team. Plus, she isn’t afraid to voice her opinion if she thinks something is wrong. She also asks questions from the players or coach if she doesn’t understand something,” She also said Jaida is treated like a varsity player and deserves to be on the team.
When asking Tyren is being young a disadvantage he stated, “No”. Tyren says he deserves to be on varsity because he has worked long and hard to be where he is today. Baker also played midget football with NFA and was one of the star players there. He is a fullback and nose guard and starts on kick offs and kick returns. He is the first person in his family to play football. Baker wants to continue his career in football at UNL. He also said he wanted to be an extructional engineer. Tyren’s head coach Mr. Macke says Tyren is a hard worker and he is really good even though he is still young. He said, “We have high expectations for all our players regardless of grade.”