We all know the story of Michael Jordan: He was cut from his high school basketball team; that only caused him to work harder to achieve his dreams of being a professional athlete. Any athlete at some point in their career has a dream of making it to the pros, but for some, that dream is crushed earlier than others. Some believe they cannot pull a "Michael Jordan" and make their way from the bottom up to the very top.

Athletes who never made varsity teams were automatically assumed to be lower on the food chain compared to those who made the prestigious, trophy-winning, glory-getting, Letterman-jacket-wearing varsity team. Making junior varsity, sophomore, or freshmen teams were never enough--they were never acceptable in the eyes of their schools, coaches or players. They were looked down upon, always got the hand-me-down uniforms, played less, and were never taken seriously.

As one of these athletes, I knew how it felt. I was told I was varsity material, but then never made the team. In my mind, this meant I wasn't good--I wasn't worthy. I was always hurt by this statement, and yet, I continued to put myself through the trials and tribulations of high school sports because I kept hoping that maybe one day, I would make the coveted team and be able to call myself a varsity athlete. This never happened, but through this journey I learned that even though I always wanted to be a player on the top team, being a non-varsity athlete was the best thing that happened to me.

Non-varsity athletes are amazing human beings, despite not being the "top dogs" in the eyes of some. They should always be proud of what they have accomplished and here's why.

1. Never making varsity means you are consistently working hard.

Athletes who never make varsity work extremely hard because they want to show that they are just as good and worthy of being a part of the team. You are working on your skills and putting in more time than you normally would because all you want is to be at the same level as the players who beat you out for that spot on the varsity team. Plus, you would always work hard to prove yourself to the other coaches; to show them that you can make it in the big leagues when they need you to play up.

2. Being on a "lower" team starts becoming about playing for the love of the game.

Varsity players have too many things on their plate: Preparing for play-offs, conditioning all season long, keeping that winning record afloat, and playing more games against tougher opponents. When you're on a non-varsity team, you are able to focus on playing because you love the game, not because you have to win for someone else. You begin to play for yourself, and remember why you started playing that sport in the first place. *You also get more time to have more fun practices, but we'll just keep that a secret.*

3. You become part of a family.

My favorite part of playing high school sports, was being part of a sports family. I became extremely close with all of my teammates. We consoled each other, the older girls passed on life experience--including how to handle the pain of finding out you didn't make varsity and still making the most of it. We made each other stronger and always supported one another. The bus rides to other towns for games were unlike anything I've ever experienced. I was happier than I ever was with the group of people I was lucky enough to call my teammates.

4. We. Are. Enough.

We are worthy of everything and more that the varsity athletes are. I was lucky. Where I went to school, the varsity athletes took us under their wings, and when I was a senior and still wasn't on varsity, the other seniors still remained my friends. The varsity players never saw us as inferior, even when we saw ourselves that way. My coaches on the other hand, well that was a different story. No matter how anybody views you, or how you view yourself, know that no matter what team you make, you are worthy of calling yourself an athlete. You are worthy of being a varsity athlete, even if you don't ever gain the title. I can assure you that you will gain so much more from being a non-varsity athlete than you ever will as a "top dog." Don't ever look down on yourself because you were cut from the varsity team, or you were told you weren't good enough.

For anyone who is nervous about playing sports due to not making varsity...do it anyways. Do it because you love the sport. Who knows, you may end up finding that you love not having to wear a clunky Letterman jacket more than you realize, and you'd rather be kept warm by having your teammates huddled around you like penguins. You may end up proving everyone, including yourself, wrong and pull a "Michael Jordan."

So here's to the non-varsity athletes. The hard-workers, the ones who play for the love of the game, the one's who play for the name on the front of their jerseys as well as on the back. You are just as inspiring as the varsity athletes, and you serve just as great a purpose.