An Open Letter To The Senior Athlete Starting Her Last Spring Sports Season

It's never easy to say goodbye, and one of the hardest things to let go of after high school was varsity sports, and for me the sport I loved most was lacrosse. I played when my school was first introducing lacrosse to the district, from seventh grade until my final senior season. It was some of the best times I ever had in high school, and I had so many amazing teammates to share it with. But this letter isn't for me. This goes out to any high school senior with a similar story, about to enter your last season in those uniforms, with those teammates, playing the sport you love. Make sure you don't forget to look around and cherish it.

As a senior, you might be ready to move on to college and leave high school behind, but once it's over I guarantee you'll miss at least some of it. Make sure you don't get too caught up in winning and championships and simply enjoy the time you have with your team. I look back on those long bus rides to away games when the whole team would laugh and talk and my coach would call us out for not being focused. Those times with my teammates were unbeatable, and I'd give anything to feel that type of bond with my team again. We suffered many losses, but we supported each other through it all and always came out with smiles on our faces. In your last sports season, the best thing to do is cherish these bonds and make sure you never take them for granted.

For any senior who knows they won't be going on to play division or club sports in college, this could be the last time you have that type of close team relationship. Not to mention the last feelings of excitement on game day, the satisfaction of seeing familiar faces in the crowd at your home turf, and the accomplishment of getting through a hard day's practice with some of your best friends. Hold onto each and every one of those feelings.

It definitely gets hard at times with everything you have going on your senior year, from getting ready for school or a job after graduation to making memories with your friends. Let's not forget all the homework and final projects coming up at the end of the school year. When you look back on high school you'll want to be sure that you put all you could into your last sports season, and gotten everything you could out of it.

On those off days when the last thing you want to do is practice or play through a game, remind yourself of how important this sport and your team is to you, push through it, and take every positive away from it that you can. It won't be long until you're playing your last game and saying goodbye to the team and the sport you love so much. Thank your coaches for all they do, hug your teammates after every game and play as hard as you possibly can. If you don't, you'll wish you had.