Like many other athletes, I have played sports my whole life.
It wasn't always the same sport, but either way, I was always involved in some sort of physically demanding sport. When I entered high school and finally found the one sport I wanted to play above the rest, I gave it my everything.
All athletes remember the sacrifices that we had to make throughout our high school careers; missing parties, limited time with family, and dealing with the constant pain of having a body like an 80-year-old at 17. When those four years are over, most athletes have a tough choice to make; to play in college, or not to play? A lot of this decision is also based on the school you wish to attend.
Are you attending a school so you can play your sport? Does your dream school even have your sport? Are you a D1A kind of athlete, or do you want to just play for fun and join club? These are all questions every high school senior athlete has to face. For me, the decision was pretty easy. My general rule was, any school I applied to had to have my sport, and I wanted to be on the team.
By my senior year, my body was basically broken. I had had countless injuries from broken bones, to stress fractures, to torn ligaments. Yet for some reason, I wasn't ready to give in quite yet. I was still in love with my sport, and I knew that I wanted to be a college athlete. Some of my other friends that played sports looked at me like I was crazy. They wanted to stop sacrificing and have the normal college experience that they didn't get to have in high school. On the other hand, I had friends that understood what I meant when I said that I wasn't finished quite yet. They had that same drive and desire that I had to see just how far they could go, and just how good they could get.
Fast forward a year and a half later, I am now in my second year on my team at a D1A school. It kind of seems surreal sometimes. The work that I've had to put in was definitely what I expected, but that doesn't make it any easier. There is far more sacrifices in college sports than there are high school. Missing countless parties, giving up hours of sleep for 6 a.m. practices, fighting through injuries that are years old and still hurting, pulling all nighters just to get in some study time, and definitely not getting the same college experience as those who don't play sports. Yet, I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Yes, being a college athlete as not given me a typical college experience, but I am experiencing something else that not just any college student can. I am apart of something. I am apart of a team that has goals, and dreams, and plans, and an amazing bond that only we share. Nothing can compare to the feeling of success and of reaching our common goals that we have worked so hard for. Nothing can compare to making your coach proud. And nothing can compare to when all the sacrifices you have made finally pay off.
Becoming a college athlete takes a certain kind of person. You have to have drive, passion, and strong mindset. Not everyone wants to continue sports in college, but the truth is, not everyone can.
Although there are definitely moments when I question why I still do this, and wonder how my body is still working, I wouldn't give it up for anything.
