Jupiter High School senior athletes signed with colleges to continue the next chapter of their athletic careers on Feb. 3. 

Siblings and parents of the athletes gathered in the JHS gym, socially distancing at their individual tables, for this life-changing moment. Sixteen athletes in total, fifteen in-person and one virtually, attended the signing-day event.

“I’m excited to play at the next level because I hopefully can show everything I developed here at Jupiter on one of the biggest stages,” Cristian Orth, senior football player who is attending Morehead State University, said.

Athletes thriving to continue to a higher level were full of emotions while formally signing to continue athletics at the collegiate level.

“I’m super excited because in the next level I will be improving, and it will [be] more competitive, making the sport more fun for me,” Varis Monroe, senior swimmer who is attending Florida State University, said.

Training with a new team requires hard work, but the Warriors were excited to tackle the new challenges by embracing signing day.

“I am most excited to train with the team and learn new things. I want to learn as much as possible about the sport and my position as a pitcher,” Noah Steckley, senior baseball pitcher attending Florida Technology College, said.

Moving on to play sports at the collegiate level was inspiring for the signees knowing they were able to meet new teammates and new coaches.

“I’m most excited to join such an excellent coaching staff at USF. They are such amazing, positive people and their whole program seems like a big family. It is their first season coaching at USF and they have already developed such an awesome culture,” Amanda Dewitt, senior volleyball player attending the University of South Florida, said. 

Competing at the higher level of sports means competing with more advanced athletes, and Monroe feels ready to take on the challenge.

“I’m so ready because training is my favorite part of the racing process. Especially now that I will be on a team with people the same speed, if not faster than me, the competition and racing in practice will make me not only a better person but a better swimmer,” Monroe said.

College sports are providing high school athletes with another outlet to continue their athletic career as well as their education.

“I have always wanted to play baseball for as long as possible and college will extend my playing career. Also, it will allow me to get a good education in a field I would like to have a future in,” Steckley said.

Moving onto college sports can be tough. In order to  perform at their best, athletes have to maintain a positive mindset, no matter the difficulty.

“Preparing to play in college is stressful. It was super overwhelming when I first got my workout packet and schedule from my coaches. Once I got started I realized that I can do this. When I get down I keep telling myself that my coaches recruited me for a reason. It is so easy to overthink and get worried but you have to have faith in yourself,” DeWitt said.