I was a Benchwarmer and I was proud. Yes, I wish I played more but I understand why I didn’t. Here are 5 reasons why being a bench warmer was one of the best experiences of my life.

1. I grew as a person.

I had to learn to be more patient and I would get my time to shine. I learned how to be more compassionate and be excited for my teammates even if it ment I wasn’t playing.

2. My relationship with my coach grew.

I found that being on the sideline with my coach allowed him to learn more about me and vise versa. He become one of the people I felt comfortable going to if I was having any problems when It came to lacrosse.

3. I started being someone people could rely on.

I didn’t play much, but that doesn't mean I didn’t work hard. I always pushed myself and helped out where I could. For example, coach asks for the cones I would run and get the cones. I never did anything at a walking pace. Someone is having an asthma attack, I would run and search for their bags and get them water and their inhaler. I wasn’t playing but I was always a team player.

4. I got to run the team twitter.

I would stand on the sidelines and tweet the game as it happened. It really wasn’t anything special at first but with the help of some teammates we made it amazing. It was nice to help the parents who couldn’t be at the game keep up with what was happening… Follow @sufferngirlslax on twitter ;)

5. Being on the bench kept me humble.

This one may or may not be a surprise, but It kept me humble because those moments I did get to play, I worked my butt off and I didn’t let it get to me in the future.