Just about all of us have had the chance to be a part of something -- whether you were head of the debate team, captain of the chess club or a high school sports star, we’ve all been lucky enough to have had the experience to “belong” to a group.

Being a member of a sports team at the collegiate level, however, is an entirely new sense of belonging.

In high school, if you were a member of a sports team, you and your team would meet for practice a couple times a week. Sure, you would say “hi” to your teammates passing in the hallways and maybe even have the occasional team bonding sleepover. You would would spend time together in the gym and at games, but most of us had friends outside our team and when the season was over, communication was limited.

In college, your teammates become your family. They see you at 6 a.m. workouts with no make up on and messy hair, and then again the same night back in the gym sweating through your practice clothes. Unlike high school, your time with your team doesn't end at practice. Outside of the gym, you eat every meal and walk to each class together because your schedules line up. Studying time turns into a group activity after practice and you all somehow end up sleeping in the same dorm room. Laundry turns into a chore you don't hate because it means you get to wash uniforms together -- another excuse to spend time with your makeshift family.

Because your bond outside of the gym is so strong, practice time is that much more rewarding. Ask any college athlete and they would all agree that there were times they didn't feel like they could complete a drill, a workout, a skill, but when you look next to you and see your best friends cheering you on, you do it for them. For the girl next to you who's willing to do anything for you, the one who is pushing herself through the same workout.

So to my family, I want to say thanks. Thank you for inspiring me everyday to be better and for allowing me to know I always have 28 siblings to rely on.