I remember the beginning of our time together. We were all so excited to play our favorite sport together. We set aside all of our differences for that precious time on the court. Our locker room conversations were rarely ever school appropriate, and almost exclusively included laughing.

Teammates have such a special bond. We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses on and off the court. We knew each other’s crushes and favorite foods in high school. We also knew how to get under each other’s skin and encourage each other in our darkest times. No one else understands the things we went through together as a team. When the coach got so mad he broke his clipboard at our feet during the game the spectators gasped, but they had no idea what that meant for us in practice the next day. The only thing we knew was whatever he made us do, at least we would be doing it together.

We all had nicknames, mostly because yelling our full names out during plays was so not practical, but those nicknames carried into the halls of our school and it made me smile on the inside. Being on a team with you wasn't always easy, but it was always special. We became siblings during those years. We picked on each other and worked together seamlessly and fought like no one else could understand. That’s a really fun thing about teammates, ya know? The way we can fight and argue, and then high five and go get slushies together.

Game Days were so exciting with you. Getting to the locker room after a bad day at school and trying to lift each other up and get pumped. Screaming “Shine bright like a diamond” together and demonstrating our amazing dance moves for each other...and our couches. Our warm-ups on the court before the game were nerve-racking and indescribably exciting. Hearing any of those songs now brings a nostalgia like no other.

I remember all those practices where our coach worked us until we nearly passed out. We would get so annoyed with each other and want to quit, but we didn’t because we loved our sport so much. Our militaristic practices made even the football team flinch, and our survival is something to be proud of. Being sent into the halls to do warm ups on our own was always a blast even during our 200 jump ropes and seven laps around the school.

I remember how excited it made you guys when the coach asked me to sing the national anthem at our games. I had terrible stage fright, but having my team there with me made it much more bearable. You guys were so encouraging and always wanted to hear me sing, and I never told you how good that made me feel. So thanks.

Thanks for being my team. Even though we didn’t choose each other, we always had each other’s back. Every tear shed on that last game day my senior year was sincere. The tears you all cried, too, let me know just how much you cared, and in that moment I would have given anything to go back and do it all over again.