Talking with the admission director of a neighboring school back when I was Proctor's Director of Admission, I got the impression that his real job was athletic recruitment. When speaking of applicants, the first criterion was always athleticism. Intrigued, I asked him if the performance of varsity teams was inherently more significant than that of junior varsity teams. He looked at me as though I was some kind of subversive....not totally inaccurate, I suppose. My point was this: isn't any team, or any game, just as meaningful to the players who are giving it their best? Here, Junior Varsity girls basketball players toast the impending start of their game with Gatorade:

This morning, a student made this hilarious announcement in assembly: "Last night, varsity football played in Jacksonville, and won!" It got me thinking about the meaning of varsity, and the long, happy hours of my youth spent playing junior varsity sports. Here, it's fun without the exaggerated expectations of others. You may go undefeated and have a great experience, or you may go totally defeated and have a fine experience. You're playing just in this moment. Stephanie drives:

What could be better than J.V. play in which (currently) less skilled boys and girls learn basic strategies and have fun being on teams together?

It's amazing that all of the prep schools in this country are able to enroll all of the amazing athletes that start for all of the powerhouse--(and some simply adequate)--teams that distinguish this industry. Could independent schools flourish in attaining their missions without this driver? This is what it's like on the JV boys' hockey bench:

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