Dear preseason at Endicott,

It’s that time of the year again, preseason, for you to kick my ass.

Or not.

Amidst the days of double practices, lifts, meetings, and fitness tests, there lies a true blessing behind the badly-dubbed term “preseason.”

Although days begin and end with tired legs and sore bodies, they also begin and end with the thing that makes it most worthwhile; your team.

You see, preseason, you do not phase me. I have an army behind me to conquer you with. But, in your defense, I truly don't think that any of us would be doing any of this if we didn't have our teammates by our side. It's not that we wouldn't love the sport, but we would fear taking you on by ourselves. You'd be scary, intimidating, impossible even. But with our teammates, with people who make it possible to be a part of something bigger than yourself, we can do just about anything. Well, anything campo lets us do.

So thank you, team, for being the exact kind of people that I need to get me through every rigorous day. Thank you for either being entertaining when I need a pick-me-up or serious when I need a reminder to focus. Most importantly though, Gulls, thank you for endless motivation to survive not only preseason, but our year together. Without all of you, all of us working together to achieve one common goal, we would not be the family that we truly have become. Maybe we would be, but one of those ones that only get together on Christmas and Thanksgiving because they need feel obligated to.

So tomorrow I will wake up at 7, and get ready for the day that lies ahead. I'll struggle to find an outfit even though I brought my whole wardrobe. I'll snooze my alarm not once, but twice to avoid you, and I will probably lie in bed for an hour instead of showering after our second practice. But I just can't seem to wait.

I think I speak for most, if not all of the fall student-athletes here at Endicott when I say to preseason, "Bring it on."