Letterman jackets are very common among high school and college students who participate in various sports. But, what is a letterman jacket?
This is a heavy, winter-style coat, which comes in the school’s or college’s color, and has a letter or symbol affixed on it, as well as other decorative items. The large, cloth letter, which can be the first letter of the school’s or college’s name, is attached on the front, left area of the jacket.
On the other hand, students who excel in sports or other co-curricular activities get a smaller cloth letter or metal pin, which they can add to their letterman jackets. Getting a letterman jacket in the US is considered to be a privilege and honor, and it represents the athletic prowess of the student.
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How does one qualify to get a letterman jacket?
Most schools and colleges require students to participate in sports teams, like basketball, football, soccer, or baseball to receive a letterman jacket. Typically, the coach is the one who determines the players to get the jacket. At times, you might need to finish the season in a good position or play a certain number of competitions or games in that season to earn a varsity jacket.
For instance, high school baseball players can receive a varsity jacket if they participate in at least 50% of the scheduled baseball games in that season. Other colleges require students to get a minimum grade point for them to participate in a sports team or to earn a letterman jacket. So, all requirements do vary depending on the school or college. Generally, students receive a letterman during their high school or college career. However, they can also receive bars or medallions for extra activities.
Varsity jacket styles
Although the letterman jackets by VarsityBase come in different styles, they all have several things in common. For example, most letterman jackets have leather, or artificial leather covering an area or the entire sleeves. Furthermore, these jackets have stripes of the school’s or college’s color at the top and bottom of the jacket, as well as at the end of the sleeves.
Also, letterman jackets have two pockets at the bottom, and others come with in-built hoods—but these varieties are optional.
Letterman jacket patches
There are different types of patches that a student can affix to their letterman jacket once they receive it. However, all schools and colleges adhere to individual styles or fixing the patches. Usually, students receive these patches during a ceremony where awards are given to students who have excelled in different areas. Generally, several patches are considered to be common across the board, meaning you can find them on most varsity jackets.
Chevrons
Students receive these for every year that they participate in sports. You can either receive general chevrons for every year you’ve participated in sports or get specific sports chevrons. The chevrons come with bars that represent the years one is committed to sports, plus a sports symbol—depending on the discipline.
The downside of receiving sport-specific chevrons, however, is that if you participate in different sports activities throughout your high school or college life, your jacket can be cluttered with these chevrons. However, you must understand that you will not get the chevrons for the years you’ve been in the school’s squad, but for the years you’ve played the sport while in high school or college. Typically, you should wear chevrons on the sleeve.
Commemorative patches
These are used to celebrate the achievement of your team. For instance, if your team achieved the overall ranking, or worn the conference title for the year, you can get a commemorative patch for your varsity jacket. Also, you can receive these patches when you participate in a special game or scrimmage postseason. Generally, most schools hand out these patches to indicate the event or season the student participated in and the titles they won. Like all other patches, commemorative patches are worn on the sleeve of the jacket.
Activity and sports patches
Most sports and activities have a common symbol. For instance, two masks represent drama, while sports are represented by the ball used in the game, or a small character of a person doing something like swimming or diving.
Letterman jackets as a fashion trend
While letterman jackets are very common in U.S. high schools and colleges, they’ve also found their way into the fashion industry. So, it’s not strange to find someone wearing a letterman jacket not because they participate in high school sports, but as a fashion statement. Mostly, these letterman jackets have a letter or name of an imaginary school or college, as well as the name of the designer or manufacturer.
