Athletics is an outlet for so many people to express themselves, and their talent. For some people, athletics is all we do. We spend our summers on a ball field, or winter break coped up in a hot, noisy gym. It is a constant cycle of playing ball, or competing at a meet. So here are a few things I would like to say to a high school athlete, looking to continue their career into college. This is not to scare you, but to let you know the reality of playing a college sport.
Be prepared for the in-season feeling to be everyday.
You think you feel stressed when your sport is in season for three months? Try having your season be year long, while you have an exam every other week, and trying to work a job at the same time. You think you do not have free time during a three month season? In college, having to schedule a family event, or a hangout with your friends takes about a 3-5 business days advanced notice. You have to read 20 pages for your English class on a game night? Try having to read 50 pages for your business class on a game night where you do not get back until midnight. College is a fun and exciting place, but trust me, you will not get to slack off as much as you get to in high school.
Your team is your family.
In high school, you might have to deal with a teammate that you do not care for, for only a few hours out of the week. In college, you live with them, eat with them, sleep with them (you need a comfy arm to lean on for long bus rides), and spend everyday with them. If there is someone on your team that you do not care for, you suck it up and treat them as family. You do not talk badly behind your families back, or make their lives miserable. In college you are an adult, so treat the surrounding people around you like adults.
More will be asked from you.
Congratulations, you are the star of your high school team because you get 20 points a game, or you have 13 home runs in your season. However, you are handpicked along with several other players, who were also the star of their high school team. Not only that, you are facing other athletes who were the stars of their high school teams, and have some college experience under their belts. Are you capable of now scoring 27 points in a game? Can you hit 20 home runs in a season? Can you lose a half of a second, to a second while running? Your best in high school got you to college, but in college your best is not great. In college you are facing smarter, stronger, and more athletic talent than you ever faced in high school. What are you going to do to break through to the next level, and become a GREAT college athlete?
There will be times when things are not going your way.
Nobody is perfect, and not everything is going to go your way all of the time. You will have some off games, or off meets, but you cannot let that effect your future games. You put the past behind you, but at the same time you learn from your mistakes. We all have bad days and we all go through phases when everything seems to be coming at you at a thousand miles per hour. There are days when you will ask yourself, is it worth it? Even though you feel like you are going through the seven layers of hell somedays, all of the pain, hardship, and frustration does not even come close to the joy you will feel when you are standing in the face of victory.
Do not take one moment for granted.
No matter what grade you are in now, now and in the future do not take one moment of it for granted. Give every game your 100% effort. Always leave it out on the court, field, track, stage. We're not promised tomorrow, and you never know when an injury might occur. I would rather say "I gave it my all," than, "I could have gave more." You never know what game will be your last. I have watched seniors at their peak come face to face with an injury, that puts them out for the rest of their season. Always play, like it is your last game.
