In the midst of the fall sports season at Westford Academy, high school athletes have a new opportunity available to them: contacting and mentoring younger athletes that share a love for their sport. And, through WA teammates, they can also gain community service hours at the same time.
This organization was founded by Kaitlin Pepin and Saanvi Jha, two juniors who have a passion for sports, namely basketball. They created an opportunity for not only high school students, but also for the younger generation which they wished they had. Operating under WA Pride, a volunteer organization at WA, WA Teammates will pair up all-interested high school athletes with a youth athlete of the same sport. After contacting parents as well, the high school athlete will then mentor and support the student they are paired up with by attending their games and providing a positive example for what their future athletic career holds for them.
“As an athlete myself, I would have loved this organization when I was a youth player,” Jha said. “I loved watching the varsity basketball team play when I was in fourth grade, and I feel like it’s a great thing for the youth to get experience [from] more skilled and advanced players.”
After proposing the idea, thought of by Pepin, to some of their friends, the founders realized that WA Teammates had the potential to become very successful. Even though they were starting late in the beginning of the school year, Pepin and Jha were determined to bring the idea to life.
“Everyone thought it was a great idea. At first we didn’t think we’d have time to start it up, but then we [thought] okay, we just have to go step by step,” Jha said. “We [started] emailing coaches to find youth players for people who are interested in matching up.”
The organization is still in its beginning stages after starting up, but a promising seven students have already signed up. As of now, high schoolers also have unlimited time to find a pairing.
“As the program gets introduced to [more] people, we are still going to create more matches for people interested.” Jha said.
Interested young athletes will be drawn through the simple process of contacting coaches, and then contacting parents. Jha and Pepin hope that the young athletes involved in WA Teammates will find motivation and inspiration from their mentors.
“I’m just hoping that they stick with their sport longer, and then also find another passion and reason to play. When they’re playing a game it’s not just to be in the game, it’s also [that] they have a fan base,” Pepin said.
Junior and aspiring mentor Aida DiBisceglie aims to be one of those inspirations to the youth.
“I want to be someone who they can see in their sport, and be able to support them and get them excited to play,” DiBisceglie said. “I think it’s really good to be able to see people in your sport who are actively doing it, especially when you’re older. A lot of [people] will kind of stop playing their sports in middle of school.”
Not only will WA Teammates benefit the younger athletes, but also the high school students who will be acting as mentors.
“I think it’ll be a good way to do more sport things out of school besides practice, and then [also] building a relationship with younger kids,” Pepin said.
In order to give the youth the best experience possible, Pepin encourages high schoolers to show up with a positive attitude.
“Make sure that you’re cheering everybody on. That’s the main goal, and just showing up and being a good example for the kids,” Pepin said.
This organization intends to help high school athletes develop skills outside of their sport as well. Being able to support the less experienced are skills that will be beneficial to have in the future too.
“I hope to create a sense of unity between athletes in Westford, and I hope that it brings together people and connections that can be used to help the young athletes,” Jha said.
Despite the fact that WA Teammates continues to be in its developmental stages, the organization only aims to expand from here.
“When me and Kaitlyn are entering senior year it’s going to be the peak of our program because we’ll have everything organized,” Jha said. “We’re really thankful for those who have just joined and we hope they’re patient with us.”
Jha and Pepin encourage Westford Academy student athletes to help make a difference by joining WA Teammates, and can’t wait for the matching process to start. On WA Teammates’ instagram in their bio, interested athletes can find a google form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeoLgIMJKtt0NrgcHLn3iJ3md5TSodnspBbBdcGEZdXSmQpg/viewform for sign ups.
