A notification with the title “Starting Lineup” pops up on his phone. His hands are shaking, heart is pounding and heat rises to his head. Tanner Benjamin ’28, a side attacker on the boys varsity water polo team, opens the email and quickly realizes he once again was not chosen to start in his upcoming game. Months of hard work flash through his head. Benjamin said he feels stuck when it comes to progress but pushes himself to train more as he believes that improvement is approaching.
“Oftentimes, I’ll feel like I’m not getting any better,” Benjamin said. “A belief that I always hold on to is that I am about to have a skills growth spurt. I’ll double down and lift more often, swim more often and try harder than I had in the past.”
The school offers a total of 95 sports teams across 28 different sports, according to the school’s River Park website. Many of these sports are big teams that select designated starters, while other teams members serve in different supporting roles and do not start.
Dominic Fontenette ’27, a forward on the boys varsity basketball team, said although he is not a starting player, his role involves challenging the starters in practice, helping them prepare for games and continuing to develop his own skills and leadership.
“My role on the team is to make the starting lineup better by bringing competition to practice everyday, helping them out and making sure they get the proper tools and repetitions they need for upcoming games,” Fontenette said. “My goals for the season are to not only improve the team, but improve my own skills to prepare for next year when I am a senior. I have improved most with my leadership skills, being a voice on the team and lifting up the younger players while holding them accountable and showing them what it takes to play on varsity.”
Josh Aftergood ’26, a catcher on the varsity baseball team, said while he is not on the list of starters, he contributes to the team by assisting pitchers in practice by helping them warm-up for official games.
“Even though I’m not one of the defensive starters on the field, I play a role that’s incredibly vital to the success of the program,” Aftergood said. “So much of a baseball team’s success, when it comes to winning and losing games, depends on the strength of the team’s pitching. We have a lot of depth at the pitching position, which requires a staff of multiple catchers to work with them in the bullpen during practices, and also during in-game warm-ups prior to the pitchers going into the games. So, while there is only one catcher on the field at any given time during an actual game, all of the catchers on the team are working extremely hard, day in and day out, to help ensure that our pitchers are always ready to go.”
The role of bench players is often overlooked, but are crucial to a team’s success, according to an article from softball media platform Extra Inning Softball. Anthony Springer, a softball coach at The University of Texas at Tyler, said non-starter players help make in-game adjustments, show commitment and prepare to step in when needed.
“Bench players are the unsung heroes of softball,” Springer said. “Their energy and readiness not only provide crucial depth but also empower coaches to make strategic decisions when it counts. Their commitment to being prepared for any opportunity transforms the dynamics of the game, proving that every role is vital to the team’s success.”
While the article focuses on softball, the idea applies to other sports as well. Fontenette said that there are frequent misperceptions that non-starters lack skill, emphasizing that every teammate contributes in their own way.
“Some common misconceptions about non-starters is that they are not skilled or don’t care about playing,” Fontenette said. “Everyone on the team is valuable and has their own role, and is capable of stepping up when the moment calls for them.”
Benjamin said bench players are usually perceived as less dedicated than other players on the team, but he emphasizes his own experience that does not reflect that assumption.
“A lot of people think bench players are less committed to the team,” Benjamin said. “That is not the case because I know from my own experience that there are days when I am the first one to arrive and last one to leave. Another thing people think is that we do not contribute to the success of our team. The work we do to provide and support our teammates is critical for our in-game success.”
Fontenette said not starting can be disappointing, but that he remains motivated by committing to practices, supporting teammates, communicating through challenges and focusing on team cohesion.
“The hardest part about not being on the starting lineup mentally is the feeling that you are lower than the players that get more playtime,” Fontenette said. “I try to stay motivated by practicing my hardest and being selfless by helping out the team, even when I don’t get a starting position. I handle disappointment and frustration, not by taking it out on my coaches or teammates, but rather communicating with them and trying to find a solution. I believe the most important part of the team is our morale and connection, so sticking to my role this year is what keeps me committed and valuable to the team.”
Aftergood said the team has spent a significant amount of time together traveling to games and practices, which has strengthened the team connection.
“The baseball team is made up of an unbelievable group of guys that I’m honored to call my friends,” Aftergood said. “We’ve spent countless hours with each other at O’Malley Family Field, on buses back and forth to places like Orange County and Riverside and on planes across the US. We all have a common goal and are working in unison to get there, whether it’s during the seven-inning games or the hours of practice time we’ve all invested.”
Shiri Tenser ’29, a wing and driver on the girls varsity water polo team, said she has gotten to learn a lot by observing her teammates even if she was not playing.
“Even though I didn’t start on the team this season, I still felt like I was a part of it in many aspects,” Tenser said. “I went to every game and put in all of my effort, whether I got to play or when I was out on the bench. As a newer member of the team, I’ve also grown in skill and I have learned so much from my coaches and teammates. Every practice is beneficial, for both training and spending time and making memories with everybody. Being on a team, we all go through everything together, easy or hard. This was my first season playing high school and my experiences really did help me grow and explore parts of myself that I hadn’t touched on before.”
Benjamin said despite having limited playing time as a bench player, he has improved his skills over the years by making himself familiar with strategic plays, building resilience and embracing his individual role.
“Although I’m still at the back of the pack, I have made progress,” Benjamin said. “My strongest skill is my game knowledge and memorizing plays. That comes more easily to me than scoring a goal. Being a bench player has helped me grow in so many ways. learned how to always find a role even if there isn’t one outlined for me, I learned the value of selflessness in a shared goal and I learned perseverance in the ways I keep going without a guarantee of success.”
Aftergood said his experience with the baseball program has been meaningful in helping him grow into the person he is today both on and off of the baseball diamond.
“Harvard-Westlake baseball has a world class coaching staff from whom I’ve been blessed to learn the game of baseball for the last four years,” Aftergood said. “Just being able to spend dozens of hours each week with Coach [Jared] Halpert and his team during games and practices has developed me not only into a better baseball player, but into the person I am today. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
