The sports culture at Uni High is unusual as a result of its no-cut policy. Due to skill not being a determining factor for making the team, a variety of attitudes and goals are thrown together. This can take a toll on the athletes whose ideas of success differ.

Some students take advantage of the no-cut policy and participate in sports to simply get out of the PE program. Others have been playing their sport since a very young age, and are eager to win and become better players.

Sophomore Lucas Wood is a standout forward for the Uni High boys soccer team.

“In bigger schools, sports is not open to a wide variety of people like it is here,” he said. “This leads to a more overall accepting environment that many students find enjoyable.”

Lucas’ thoughts differ from those of Demetrius Urban, another member of the Boys soccer team.

“I don’t think it’s worth it,” Urban said when asked about doing sports just to get out of PE. “Sports requires more commitment and is harder than just doing PE.”

Sophomore Raneem Saadah is a member of the swim team, participating in the sport for her second year. Her reason for participating in the sport goes beyond her performance in the pool.

“I swam for Uni to stay in shape and meet upperclassmen,” she said. “There is also a fine line between Varsity and Junior Varsity in the Uni swim team.”

Due to swimming being a mainly individualized sport, the atmosphere of the team is not as affected by certain people not giving their full effort. This is a similar situation in sports at Uni such as cross country, track, and tennis.

The different sports environment at Uni High is one that is much more accepting and available to a myriad of students in the school. Although it may cause a shift in the overall dynamic of sports teams, the involvement of the athlete is more enjoyable and experimental, along with a strong element of competitiveness.