Honor the traditions, wear the past

 From the letter to the man, letterman jackets are a typical high school tradition and a symbol of school pride and dedication. Students in varsity sports have the opportunity to purchase a letterman and show the achievements they’ve made throughout their high school athletic career.

The jackets have a white wool body and sky blue leather sleeves with patches of their records, allowing athletes to customize their apparel as a reward for reaching the varsity level of their sport, award patches, championships and California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) badges. In the United States, the jacket is often seen in older movies, but it isn’t only a piece of clothing. It’s a tradition that tells the story of an athlete. 

“I have this track foot as a symbol of getting into varsity track as well as a cross country patch,” Cross Country runner senior Sehrish Farooq said. “These patches represent my achievement and it gives me dedication and it represents me through my decisions.” 

The detailed patches and symbols aren’t just for decoration, they showcase the athletes’ sports and passion throughout their high school careers. For many students at Walnut, getting a unique letterman jacket is a  special milestone and a way to remember their high school memories. Track and field high jumper junior Sheyn Sino-Cruz expresses her joy for the customizable patches.

“[The letterman jacket] really shows who I am as a person because of the [patches] I customize as well as my accomplishments that I have on my back,” Sino-Cruz said. “It’s mine and it really represents who I am.”

There are many customization options when it comes to letterman jackets because each player has their own charms and patches that represent different achievements. Captain Soccer player junior Ellie Lopez comments on the details of the color.

“I have a captain’s logo and my soccer ball is pink because pink is my favorite color,” Lopez said. “It’s personalized to me and it’s really special because I am walking around with my achievements I’ve gotten over the years playing soccer in [high school], and it’s something that I can look back on and remember what I got.”

Along with being a symbol of an athlete’s hard work, some freshmen also use their letterman to show their achievements. The letterman jacket represents something deeper; each patch, color and detail captures a moment in time. As a symbol of varsity athletics, this turns into a record of students in Walnut and who they are becoming.Cross country runner freshman Diana Dira, for example, has already achieved many patches despite being a freshman and feels pride in her sport. 

“One of my proudest patches is from when me and my teammates CIF, that is one of my first patches I ever got. My other patch I got is for my Rookie of the Year patch that I got for doing pretty well for my first year in cross country,” Dira said.