As an athlete, all your life, you've probably heard people complain about you getting special treatment. You've probably been told that it's unfair that we athletes get more attention than the students who don't play sports, but little does everyone know or understand how hard we work. Simply, I want to say to everyone who has these narrow-minded views regarding athletes that, "I'm more than an athlete."
The countless hours, conditioning, lifting, the sleepless nights because of a fitness test in the morning, the early morning trainings while the rest of the campus is still asleep (or just going to bed), the nights when you can't go out with your friends because you have a game the next day, etc. I'm not mentioning all of this to complain about being an athlete, but more to explain the things we endure as athletes. Sure, all those things are hard and stressful, but the most amazing thing about all those things are the characteristics that have been instilled in me because of them.
I'm more than an athlete because of my work ethic. Playing sports my entire life has taught me a great deal about working hard and going the extra mile to benefit not only myself, but the girls around me.
I'm more than an athlete because of my commitment. The 20+-hour weeks during the year, not including games and travel, are only a small chunk of the commitment we as athletes make. We as athletes make a commitment to ourselves to be the best we can be, as well as a commitment to our teammates and coaches to work for each other to accomplish the goals we've set out to reach.
I'm more than an athlete because of my time management. We have such a demanding schedule that we have to know how to manage our time to get our work done, and still have enough time to sleep to get after it again the next day.
I'm more than an athlete because of my passion. Most importantly, we know what it means to be passionate about something. We love our sport and we play with our hearts. We're out there because it's what we love to do and we wouldn't be who we've become if it weren't for our sport.
So, to all the people who think athletes are just dumb jocks, we have a lot more to offer because of our experiences. Of course, there are athletes who are dumb jocks, but don't just assume that we all are the same. Athletes are simply another group of people that exist on this earth.
"Each of us has a fire in our hearts for something. It's our goal in life to find it and keep it lit. An athlete's fire just happens to be for their sport.
