Take it from someone who once found himself disappointed at the end of tryouts, cuts should be a part of high school sports. The seemingly cruel aftermath of being let go led to my understanding of my place within the sport, with more good coming out of the experience than bad. No, not everyone feels this way after being cut, but a similar process of change takes place.

After years of sports, I, like countless prospective athletes before me, learned what it was like to not be good enough. Cuts teach their victims to accept failure and challenges in athletics and in life. Not everything can always turn out as planned. A student-athlete cannot go through life without roadblocks. The fall from assurance to questioning your ability is a humbling experience, learning others are better than what you thought you could be. This understanding leads to an athlete’s maturation as a player. He works harder, wants it more and knows what he went through is something he never wants to go through again.

Cuts also allow athletes to try something new, be it another sport or any other sort of activity. With a variety of no-cut sports and numerous clubs, a once hopeful KHS athlete is sure to find another option. After his position on a team has been decided for the worse, the player must expand his horizons, no longer focusing solely on his quest to earn a spot, rather on becoming well-rounded in other areas. If students are never cut they may never find something which captivates their interest as much, or even more, than what they previously pursued.

Cuts must remain in high school athletics simply because some players don’t have what it takes to be on a team. Not everyone can be kept. It has been the reality of higher-level sports since the beginning. Only a certain amount of positions are available on each team and only a select few can fill them. The best players deserve to play, not those who wanted to impress their buddies, tried out as a joke or even those who wanted more than anything to be on the team but just weren’t good enough. Coaches used to always say sports are all about having fun, and they are, to a point. Winning matters most. Like it or not that’s what competition is all about.

Michael Jordan’s career was defined by his high school success, or lack thereof, being cut from his high school Varsity team. His motivation stemmed from his lowest point as a player, something that can only arise as result of failure. A coach telling you they cannot keep you, there are not enough spots or whatever it may be is not what an athlete envisions at the beginning of tryouts. I know that first hand. Sports are harsh, getting cut is even worse, but it is a concept that has to remain in place for the good of competition.