I have been an athlete for as long as I can remember. I played basketball and soccer, and well, lets just say those didn't work out (I was terrible at both of them). In second grade, my parents were playing tennis in our driveway, and I wanted to try it. Fourteen years later, here I am, still playing the game.
From lessons to practices to tournaments, I loved tennis. I loved playing with my family and friends anywhere there was a hard surface for the ball to bounce on. I loved the feeling I would get walking onto the court. I loved competing. I loved every single part about tennis.
I played tennis all throughout high school, and I enjoyed every second of it. It was fun, I made a lot of friends, and I did well. I competed, I fought hard, had some tough battles, and I was successful. I ended up getting recruited by Slippery Rock University, which was an honor. Going to SRU was always something I wanted to do, but going there and getting to play tennis was a dream come true.
Now, a senior going into the final season of my tennis career, I have to come to the realization that this is it. After this semester, there will be no more matches, no more late-night practices, and no more van rides. No more team dinners, no more spring break trips, and no more NCAA tournaments. This. Is. It.
When you're in a group of new people and you have to go around and introduce yourself to everyone else and give a random/interesting fact, I always say, "I am a tennis player." Sitting here pondering this, is that all that's interesting about me? I've done so many more cool and fun things in my life, but that's all that I can give? I've traveled, I love mac and cheese, and I like to shop, but I always just stick to "I play tennis." After this semester, I can't say that anymore.
Sitting here thinking and doing some soul searching, I realized that I am more than just my sport. I am a strong, outgoing, woman who loves God and loves people. I am funny, caring and kind. I love country music, I love vacationing and I love scented candles. I am a summer camp counselor, I am a student, and I am me.
Looking to the end of my tennis career, I used to be sad. I used to feel lost, because I let tennis define me. Now, I think of it more as bittersweet. While I am losing a part of me, I have the memories from the past 14 years that will last me my entire lifetime.
To all those athletes that feel like that their sport defines them: know that it doesn't. You are more than that. Your sport is a part of who you are; it is not who you are. You have so much more ahead of you in your life than just your sport.
