For me, playing sports in high school was the highlight of my life. The lessons I learned, the people I met, and all the laughs with my teammates will forever be burned into my mind. When I went to college I decided not to play a sport, not because I wasn't good enough, but because I wanted to discover who I was outside of sports. I have played a sport ever since third grade when I joined the Y basketball league, and was a three-sport varsity athlete all through high school. Sports were pretty much my life growing up. I, now a sophomore in college, know what it's like to go some time without sports in my life. These last two years in college, I haven't even come close to how happy I was in high school. I know for a fact it that is directly correlated with the fact I am not playing a sport anymore.

I made the decision when applying to colleges that it was now the time to get serious about my future. I decided that sports would distract me from my goals of grad school and with all the practices, games and commitments, I wouldn't have enough time for my schoolwork or a social life. My parents, teachers and even my friends all agreed with me and my decision, saying college ball was a huge time commitment that would be very hard to juggle. I decided to act with my brain instead of my heart. This was one of the biggest mistakes I have ever made.

I love sports. I love soccer, I love softball, but more than any of them, I love basketball. And for some unknown reason, I gave up on the sport I love. I decided that school, and going to parties, and making money was more important than the only thing in the world I actually truly had a passion for. I took what was expected of me (good grades, popularity, a bright future) and let it define me because I was terrified of sports putting me into one box. Well, I learned more in the years I played on a sports team than I did in any classroom. I was afraid that all I was was basketball, that I didn't know who I truly was outside of it. But in reality, basketball molded me more into who I am than school ever did. I gave up on the sport I loved to become someone I thought I needed to be, when in actuality, who I already was was pretty great.

They say hindsight is always 20/20. In my case, there is no truer statement. When I was a high school senior I was so worried about planning my future and who I needed to become that I lost track of who I already was. Unfortunately in the shuffle of discovering myself, I lost the one thing I really loved. I gave up on the sport that never gave up on me. I still play every once in a while with my friends, but nothing will ever compare to the feeling you get when you're shaking the ref's hands before the game, or punching the lockers with your team in the locker room to get pumped, or the euphoric high after a huge upset.

Learn from my mistakes. Never let go of the sport you love. If you truly love a sport, don't worry about not having enough time for it. There are college athletes all over the world. If it was really to hard to achieve none of them would be success stories. Yeah, it might be tough, but all things that are worth it require a little fight. And trust me, your happiness is worth fighting for. Your professors and advisors are a lot more helpful than you might think and are very flexible when it comes to helping student athletes do both. Don't give up on something that truly makes you happy because you think it's time to get serious. Holding on to what you love is arguably one of the most important things you can do in life. Take it from me, someone who has loved and lost, and regrets it every single day. Never let go of what you love and what truly makes you happy.