High school can make or break a student athlete. High school sports can be fun, or stressful. It all depends on the student. Some students play sports to earn scholarships, if they're lucky enough, they can even score a full ride. Other students play for fun. They play because their friends are playing, or because they enjoy the sport. Everyone on the team has the same goal though: to improve.
All four years of high school I played softball. I was the student that played for fun. I wasn't good enough to earn any scholarships for it, and I am okay with that! I played because it was fun for me to hang out with friends, and to play a competitive sport.
I really enjoyed softball, and for the first two years I enjoyed playing for my high school. I was proud to play and I was proud to improve. My sophomore year, I tore my first ACL, and it after coming back from the injury the next year, is when I started to hate the sport.
My junior year I returned to softball after an intense surgery and physical therapy. After coming back to a sport from any surgery, things will change. For me, I wasn't as fast as I once was. My reactions became hesitant, in fear of hurting myself again. These were things that I needed to take care of, which I tried my best to.
When I returned back to my sport, I was relying on false hope from my coaches. I was being told lies to rush my physical therapy to return to the sport. I was working hard for coaches that wouldn't work with me since my skill level had dropped. I was trusting coaches, that I knew wouldn't keep promises.
My junior and senior year were spent on the bench. During my senior year I asked to play down on junior varsity, instead of benching varsity. During my time playing for junior varsity, I tore my other ACL, leaving me to get yet another knee surgery, this time right before college.
Coaches can make or break a student athlete. But the students biggest enemy is themselves. It is easy for a coach to bench a player, or move them down to junior varsity, but for the athlete themselves, if they can take it with a grain of salt, they are the true winners. If the student can accept whatever is thrown at them, and still work their hardest, they have survived high school sports.
I enjoyed softball very much, to the point were I wanted to join a club team in college. After the four years of playing, I've decided not to play in college. It may seem like I decided not to play because of the impact the coaches had on my four years.
Yes, but no.
I decided not to play in college due to my past coaches, my knees, and the teams I was with before. High school sports don't always end this way for everyone. For me, it did end like this, and high school sports broke the student athlete in me. Don't let it break it in you.
