Going to a small university, especially when you aren’t one of the many student athletes on campus, entails a couple pretty common things. You undoubtedly know everybody, you’re probably pretty involved in various non-athletic activities, and you probably go to quite a few sporting events to support those who are involved in sports on campus. As one of the non-student athletes on my own very small campus, I feel as if, once in awhile, it's important to say thank you to all of the athletes for teaching those of us that aren't athletes a thing or two.

Thank you for showing us perseverance. Thank you for pushing forward when you're faced with adversity and never giving up. Because of you, our campus is filled with role models that demonstrate a virtue that's extremely hard to find in today’s society.

Even after not being one of the 16 teams chosen to play in the NAIA Football Championship Series, the Dakota Wesleyan football team showed campus what perseverance truly is: being steadfast in any task, despite difficulty or setback. As Vince Lombardi once said, "It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up." Thank you, Tiger Football, for showing us how to get up again after we've been knocked down.

Thank you for showing us how to win and how to lose, with your head held high. There are too many instances to count when coaches and players in any sport get far too bent out of shape because of either being too confident or being far too fired up after a tough loss. Thank you, Tiger Athletics, for showing us how be gracious when you win and thankful for the opportunity to play the sport that you do when you lose. Thank you for being class acts on campus.

Thank you for showing us determination, drive, and discipline. Because of having teams on campus that are composed of hardworking athletes, those of us that aren't involved in athletics see examples of determination, drive, and discipline inside and outside of the classroom every single day. Thank you for playing to the last second of every game even when you're tired, sore, and worn out. Thank you for being driven to succeed in the classroom even after you've missed a week of classes for a huge tournament or series of road games. Thank you for being disciplined enough to represent Dakota Wesleyan University, our university, in a positive way. Thank you for showing everybody on campus determination, drive, and discipline every single day. Thank you for reminding us not to give up, no matter what challenges come our way, what adversity we face, or how worn out we get.

Thank you, Tiger athletes, for inspiring each and every person on campus. Thank you for doing what you do, and teaching us all a thing or two while doing it.