BHS freshman making a big impact at varsity level

Everyone’s first year of high school is full of new experiences and some accompanying stress. Bigfork High School freshman Taylor Peck is no exception. She’s starting her high school career by jumping right into the deep end, as the only freshman to play on a varsity team in both fall and winter sports.

“I’m so excited to be playing varsity as a freshman,” Peck said. “I always thought about it when I was younger and to actually be able to do it is great. I just want to keep getting better and be able to help the teams a lot.”

Peck’s varsity career started this fall, when head Bigfork volleyball coach Yvonne Peck selected her and fellow freshman Melissa VanDerveer for the varsity team, which went on to take second in the conference and place third at divisionals.

“I learned a lot from the older girls,” Peck said. “It was cool that they were willing to teach us so much.”

Coach Peck selected her teams based on tests that she administered at the beginning of the season. Coach Peck said that the two freshman had high test scores and showed great potential, a high skill level and a great deal of natural ability.

“Taylor did very well playing with the older athletes,” coach Peck said. “You run into two things with kids playing up. You have kids that either have the skills to play up or the maturity, but not always both. It’s a big jump from middle school to play at the varsity level. I think we were able to bring her along at a rate in volleyball that she was comfortable with.”

Coach Peck asked all of the girls to make a list of players they would like to go on the court with at the beginning of the season. The two freshmen were listed by over half of the team.

“Very quickly they showed their peers that they were ready to play at that level,” coach Peck said.

Peck and VanDerveer were welcomed onto the team fairly easily by their upperclassmen teammates.

“It wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been,” Peck said. “It started out slow at first. Melissa and I stuck together in volleyball practice so they knew we were a package deal. We all became close friends pretty quickly though.”

The two freshmen got a rare experience this fall getting to play on the varsity team as well as the junior varsity and freshman teams.

“Each team I played on was quicker and more intense than the other team,” Peck said. “All of the teams were equally important and exciting. I learned stuff from each group, but different things. With the older girls I learned new skills. With the younger girls we focused on basic skills and playing as a team. I liked playing on the freshman team too because we’ll be playing together next year so it was good for us to stay together as a group.”

Peck was often a stat leader on the freshman and junior varsity teams this season, particularly in set assists and kills. Her consistency made her a great player to substitute in for varsity players who needed a break, or were struggling with injuries.

“Taylor is very coachable,” coach Peck said. “She’ll do anything you ask her to. She just needs to know what the expectations are.”

Peck had to assume a different role on each team.

“Melissa and I were leaders on the freshman team, but if we were having a bad game we could listen to the others and get help from them,” Peck said. “When we were playing on the varsity team the older girls took the lead and we followed.”

This winter sports season Peck is back to being the low man on the varsity totem pole as a member of the girls basketball team.

“Basketball is my favorite sport,” Peck said. “It’s something that makes my dad and I closer. We talk about it a lot, and so does the rest of my family. I’m better at it than volleyball and more confident. It’s just sort of my thing.”

The 5-4 forward made a name for herself this summer playing in basketball tournaments with several of the upperclassmen and BHS head girls basketball coach Mark Hansen.

“She’s very knowledgeable about the game of basketball,” Hansen said. “You can tell that she’s been around the game a lot. She is steady for such a young age. She is very versatile, and can play anywhere you put her.”

Just three games into the season Peck has already proved that she deserves her spot on the team. She was the third highest scorer for Bigfork in the Vals’ home game against Missoula Big Sky, scoring five points and making three of her four shots from the free-throw line. She was the third highest scorer for the Vals at the Hamilton Tip Off as well, scoring a total of 15 points in two games. In the team’s first game of the tournament against Corvallis, Peck scored eight points, including two 3-pointers, and grabbed seven rebounds. The following night, against Hamilton, she scored seven points, and had six assists and four steals.

“Taylor is very confident in her shots,” Hansen said. “She is one of the best shooters we have on the floor at any given time.”

Being the only freshman on a team of mostly juniors and seniors doesn’t really phase Peck. She has played with most of the girls either during volleyball or in summer basketball tournaments, and she knew other girls from hanging around the high school while her dad, Thom Peck, was principal. She said that she gets teased a little for being the young girl on the squad, but she hasn’t felt any resentment from her peers for getting to play up.

“I don’t hear anything, but I definitely don’t want to slack off or give them a reason to think I shouldn’t be on the team, and I don’t ever want to act cocky either,” Peck said.

Her coach thinks she is fitting in well too.

“Watching her play in tournaments this summer and in practices during the first few weeks I could see how well she fit in with the rest of the team,” Hansen said. “She is mature for her age and gets along with the rest of the team very well. I forget that she’s a freshman sometimes she fits in so well. Sometimes she shows her age in a lack of confidence, but you can see that with anyone.”

Peck plays mostly on the varsity basketball team, but sees playing time on the junior varsity and freshman teams as well. Bigfork’s girls basketball program is dealing with a lack of numbers this year, so Peck’s versatility among the teams has been an asset for both her and the coaches.

“My biggest concern as a coach with young players is that they get enough playing time no matter what team they are on,” Hansen said. “I want to be sure that they get their minutes in.”

Though she is dealing with learning to play at the top high school level, Peck is no stranger to either game. She started playing volleyball in the 3rd grade and basketball in the 1st grade, and both sports are a family affair. Her dad played basketball in high school for Columbia Falls, and has coached in Washington and in Kalispell. Her younger sister Kylie, who is a 7th grader at Bigfork Middle School, is also an avid basketball player. The two girls often hone their skills together. Yvonne is her aunt, and has a long tradition of playing and coaching volleyball. Both Yvonne and Thom coached Taylor’s teams in middle school as well.

“She’s seen a lot of ball, both basketball and volleyball, because of her family background, but there’s no replacing playing time,” coach Peck said. “Varsity is just quicker than middle school. That’s just the transition she’ll have to make.”

The freshman admits that with the honor of being on varsity, comes some stress as well. But her coaches think she handles it well.

“Taylor stays very composed, especially for a young athlete,” coach Peck said. “There are nerves, but she overcomes them. She makes mistakes, but she learns from them.”

Peck spends a lot of time in open gyms keeping up her game and focusing on learning new skills.

“There’s stress in just not wanting to let anyone down,” Peck said. “I put a lot of pressure on myself. I want to support everyone and do something good.”

Peck admits she definitely gets pre-game jitters, and her coaches say that is just about the only time that she shows her age.

“I forget all the stress when I’m playing, but I get so nervous before the game,” Peck said. “But once I get going I forget about it.”

Her tell-tale stress trait is to keep looking down at the ground.

Taylor said that Bigfork freshman girls basketball coach Jim Epperly is great at snapping her out of it, though he usually makes fun of her a little too.

“He’s tells me to loosen up,” Peck said. “He gets me excited and makes me feel more confident.”

Peck said that the biggest adjustment she’s had to cope with while making the transition from playing middle school sports to playing high school varsity is the intensity. She said that the varsity teams practice things more frequently and with more intensity.

Peck enjoys the challenge though as it helps her become a better player.

“I’m excited and proud to be playing varsity,” Peck said. “Sometimes it gets stressful, and when I’m having a bad game sometimes it makes me think I shouldn’t be on varsity, but really it just makes me work harder to keep my spot.”

Peck knows she will have to keep her game up in order to keep her spot on both teams.

“It would definitely be a disappointment to not play varsity for the rest of high school in volleyball and basketball, but if there is someone better than I’ll just have to be as understanding as everyone has been about me,” Peck said. “And then I’ll just have to work harder.”