Four years ago, I began my journey in collegiate bowling. I had no clue what to expect in starting a brand new girls' team and I was a little nervous. Throughout my years involved, I did not achieve all that I had wanted to. I did not become an All-American nor do I feel that I "made the mark" I had wanted to.

Yes, it sucks reaching the end of your career without accomplishing your goals, but I gained something more important than a plaque.

I gained a family.

Collegiate bowling takes on more than single sports season as football or basketball do. We bowl almost every other weekend starting in September and ending in March. We spend all year together practicing and laughing in our hotel rooms. I spend more time with my teammates than I do with my classmates. In this time together, we have created a bond beyond all others. We stress each other out, we back each other up, we celebrate our successes, and we learn from our failures. My teammates alone are some of the most important friends I've had in my life.

With them by my side, I have gone through struggles and shared my life with them. They have always supported me and told me when I was just being crazy. I absolutely adore them.

But the family goes far beyond those sharing the same name on their back. I have gained more family from other teams and the overall community than I had ever expected. Bowling against the same teams all of the time, we talk and got to know each other. Of course, we are competitive, but we can't hold on to the intensity the whole time. Someone always says something dumb or makes a great shot that everyone else can admire. We talk, we joke, we bond.

I have made friends from other schools and states I know I will keep in touch with, even after my last year is done. I have met coaches I will continue to work with and value the opinions of.

Bowlers, coaches, and even the families: we become close with all of them over the years and it will be the single thing I miss the most.

I have worn my school's name on my back for the past four years on lanes all over the country and against some of the best teams in the nation. I have grown so much with the help of every single person I have met along the way.

I am almost done. My stomach sinks with those words. I am moving on to the next part of my life and saying goodbye to the best family of friends I will probably ever have.
I would like to thank the collegiate bowling community and my school for allowing me the years in this program; for allowing me the time to take a break from reality every other weekend and fall into the sport that I love the most. Thank you for giving me the friends of a lifetime and I hope to come back next year, obviously in a different role.