1. It’s the last time you will be able to customize your class schedule
Remember when you were a freshman and had no idea what classes to choose? Yeah, me too. I was an 18-year-old kid who didn’t even know that I could schedule all my classes to let me have a 4-day weekend. Now we will be filling out our final schedules, making sure we have enough time to sleep in on those days where you don’t have morning weights and giving yourself days off to rest up and get ready for practice.
2. It’s your last time you will have team lifts
Team lifts are always a good time. You push yourself to squat heavier, jump higher, or do more bench presses. After this year, you might not ever have to a sumo squat again. So instead of complaining about it, remember that it’s your last year and that you have the chance to make some huge personal records this year! Enjoy the challenge, even if it is at 6 in the morning.
3. It's your last physical with your team
Early mornings with your teammates waiting around to see how much weight you lost, or gained, over the summer and catching up with everyone is always fun. You get to see who has the best eye sight and who can balance on one leg the best. It seems lame, but those funny jokes to your teammates and laughs while waiting your turn are the things you will miss the most.
4. It’s the last time you will do a conditioning test
No athlete looks forward to the conditioning tests that they have to go through, so having it be your last one ever might be the best feeling in the world. Its never fun running till your lungs explode, but it is entertaining getting to do it with your teammates and seeing who throws up first.
5. It’s the last time you’ll get to practice with your best friends.
Lets face it. We all have those days, or weeks, where we don’t want to go to practice because we just aren’t in the mood. But now that it’s the last year that seems to be the only thing on your mind. In a good way! Practice is where you get to have fun while also trying to improve your skill. If you have a bad day, don’t worry about it. Enjoy the whole process because you might never be on a team like this again.
6. It’s the last year that you get to represent your school
The name on your jersey is something that every college athlete wears with pride. You play for that school, that team, that state. You work your butt off so that you can represent them the best you know how. When times get hard, remember whom you play for and whom you represent and use that as motivation to keep going.
7. It’s the last year to give it your all
College flies by faster than any of us thought it would. It feels like we were freshman yesterday and now all of sudden we are seniors. This is your year. This is your year to go out and give it our all no matter what. On days where you don’t feel like pushing yourself, remember one thing. It’s your last year. So hold nothing back. Give it your all and at the end of season look back and know that you did all you that you could. And most importantly, have fun the entire time. Enjoy the small things like morning weights or conversations with teammates before practice. Because it’s the small things we are going to miss. Not the wins and losses. Cherish every moment and leave everything on the table.
