6. Good friends

I started out my athletic career trying out multiple different options. I tried ballet, but little three-year-old me got bored too quickly and decided to terminate that route, (kudos to my friends who stuck with dance because it really is a beautiful thing). One time, mom had me do golf lessons. That, too, was short-lived. I wasn’t terribly coordinated, patient, or quiet, so golf was also not the sport for me. I even tried out gymnastics for a few years. As the only fourth grader who was 5’9’’, the gymnast life was also not the right fit for me. My favorite childhood athletic activity was soccer. I thoroughly enjoyed the thrill of putting on the shin pads, the jersey, lacing up my soccer cleats and playing out with all my friend on the field. Soccer quickly became my favorite past time, and actually lasted with me up through my sophomore year of high school. Sometimes life can be disappointing, though. I played soccer for a solid thirteen years and never made it off of the junior varsity team. So… I switched to track and field. I ran track in middle school and figured why not try it out in high school as well. As it turned out, not choosing to run high school track and field earlier in my high school year was a big mistake. Track, at N.P.H.S., was honestly one of the best things to ever happen to me and I wish I would have joined soon in high school. It not only taught me physical strength but emotional strength and the importance teamwork as well. To be on a team like that is also to be a part of an incredibly supportive and talented community. It broke my heart when academics got in the way my freshman year of college, and track no longer became an option for me to participate in. (I wasn’t being lazy, I have a double major and minor, so there was virtually no way for me to give 100% to both). However, even though I may not still be running with a track team, I still hold the values and mentality that my high school track team has taught me.

The internet is a beautiful, crazy, and often scary thing. Growing up with the internet, I have been exposed to countless stories and images. Here are five things I have found on the internet that have made my heart melt with joy.

It's rare that we see women at the forefront of a professional sports team, but Jennifer Welter, along with other women in the NFL and NBA, is doing just that. Jen Welter has been officially deemed the first female to coach in the NFL as she served as an assistant coach intern on the Arizona Cardinals in July. Welter is breaking down barriers for women by boldly changing football, a men-only world.