Being a college athlete is like being at the top of the stack for most people. Yes, you could go pro but the chances are crazy slim. So for most, wearing your college uniform is like wearing a badge of honor. You've made it through the blood, sweat and tears to get to game day. It's a feeling unlike anything else.
Then there is the post-athlete life - and it's also unlike anything else. When you're time as an athlete is up you find yourself in a strange place of having free time, coming to terms with your aches and pains, and much more. Here are 10 things you know to be true if you're a retired college athlete.
1. You don't know how to use free time.
After someone else making your schedule for years, when you're left to decide how to spend your day you feel lost. You feel confused and like you suddenly have more than 24 hours in a day.
2. Your body freaks out.
After years of pushing through pain, your mind and body finally have a chance to recognize all the hell you put it through. All of the sudden you sit down and can't get back up again.
3. Go to the gym? Not a chance.
You tested your physical limits for years, and we're at the mercy of someone else's demands. Why would you willingly go through another session of sweating and wanting to die?!
4. On second thought, you do miss the exhausting physical activity...
After your athlete days are done, there comes a point when you miss how a good workout makes you feel. And walking around without crushing soreness is honestly weird.
5. You have a panic attack every day at 5 p.m. for the first few weeks.
At your normal practice time, you panic that you're late or that you missed practice completely. Fear sets in that your team will now have to do punishment condition. Then you realize you're old and 5pm is just another time of the day.
6. The first game you're in the stands is the weirdest feeling...
You know it's going to be fun no matter if you're on the field/court/etc or in the stands, but you can't shake the feeling that it's not right. You watch the teammates you left behind and feel a little like they forgot you.
7. You feel washed up.
Whether you try to do your old moves, or keep up with the new team, there comes a time when your body just can't compete like it used to. You're still in better shape than most but you feel the twinge of being old a little irrelevant.
8. You cry.
Maybe only once, but you do. Whether you took an early retirement and miss your teammates you started with, or your time is just over, it's a tough transition. There is at least one moment when the fun new experiences don't quite measure up to your athletic ones.
9. You know you made the most rock solid friendships.
You may not talk to every person you competed or practiced with, but you have a bond that is truly special. There are some of your teammates that are forever friends and will be in your wedding. That is special.
10. You don't regret one single second.
It's easy to look back and remember the struggle, but it's also easy to look back and remember one of the greatest times in your life. You fought through pain and heartache and can claim to be a former college athlete. And that is something special.
