I've never really thought of myself as athletic and I didn’t really care about sports growing up. I used to love playing kickball and capture the flag during P.E. in elementary school, but what kid didn't love running around with their friends? I played basketball in fifth and sixth grade and I never once scored a basket. I took a dance class once in eighth grade and learned that I have two left feet. In my athletic career, I was never named MVP or star athlete. I didn’t receive any offers to play any sports at any school in any division. Most certainly, I never thought of myself as an athlete.
In high school, I tried any sport that my heart desired. My knowledge of cheer leading was limited to the "Bring It On" movies, but I joined the team anyway. I didn’t know how to properly hold a racket, but I played tennis for two years. I had never set foot in a gym, let alone picked up a weight, but I decided on a whim to join girls' weightlifting. I had no idea how the game of softball even worked, but I went out and bought cleats anyway. I know that it sounds like I was setting myself up for failure, but when else in life are you given the opportunity to try anything you want, even if you've never done it before?
In all three years of cheer leading I was always a base, but I have no complaints. Sure, I never won a tennis match, but that’s OK. I was fine knowing that I was not going to become an Olympic weightlifter in a season. I never started during a single softball game and I only played a handful of times, but I loved warming the bench for my teammates. I knew going into every sport that there wasn't going to be a signing day for me. Oddly, I think that made me love my sports more.
I loved every minute of varsity tennis. Spending time with my teammates — people who I would otherwise not have spent much time with — allowed me to meet new people. Matches were full of jokes, laughter, and friendliness. Getting to try my hand at a new sport was worth it, even if I wasn't the best. In three years of cheer leading, I was so lucky to be the varsity captain for two of those. Feeling the joy within my squad underneath Friday night lights was irreplaceable. As a back spot, I felt like I was, quite literally, the backbone of my stunt group. My position and leadership allowed me form bonds with girls who I otherwise would not have met. Those ties and the trust that I have with the girls in my stunt group will never fade. If I had not made the last minute decision to join weightlifting, I would not have found my passion. I never would have believed that I would make it to regionals in my first year of weightlifting, out of all sports. I love the thrill of lifting weights, but that's not the only thing that I gained from joining weightlifting. I got to spend time with girls with a similar passion, who all cared about everyone else's success. Without lacing up my cleats and borrowing a friend's glove, I never would have been enthusiastically congratulated by my entire team for catching a fly ball. Admittedly, the catch would have been simple for any other person on the team, but my teammates loved watching me succeed. The positivity and teamwork of my teams from every sport that I joined is etched into my memories.
I urge everyone in high school, even "non-athletes," to join some kind of sport. I knew that I'd never go D1 and that was the best thing that I could have known. As cliche as it sounds, it's truly not about whether you win or you lose, it's about having fun.
