For many of us college students, some of the best memories of high school are donning our school's colors in the game we had loved for as long as we could remember. There was nothing better than being a student athlete-- we could count on attention from almost everyone in the school on game day, we rocked a letterman jacket everywhere with pride, and for some of us it was the first time in our lives that we felt apart of something larger than life.
Our schedules revolved around practices, games, homework, and the glorious gifts of food and sleep. When the summer rolled around it was off to the gym or to the beach with our fellow teammates, talking about how the upcoming season would be "the year". We didn't worry about injuries or any other obstacles that life could have thrown in our way. It was all about the feeling we had before every game, walking past our student section with the butterflies that wouldn't quit.
As it truly does so well, senior year comes out of nowhere. One last year of everything you know, love, and hate about high school. Whether you are committing to a university to play for or praying to simply get accepted into one, you will find yourself putting off the thought of not getting another year in your jersey. You start to think about the seniors you looked up to (literally and figuratively) when you were a freshman, and hope that maybe you can serve as that kind of leader for the incoming players. Regardless of a win, every game should be cherished. When that final buzzer sounds, you are never prepared for it, even though you know all year that it is inevitable. All of the team dinners, away-game bus rides, locker room jokes, big victories, are no longer apart of your life. You put your team jacket on as you head to school the following week, but you're not as comfortable in it as you used to be. Life feels a bit weird for a little while.
Fast forward past graduation and your daily routine as you once knew it has changed, but the values derived from those four seasons of high school sports have impacted you immensely, one way or another. All of the phrases your coach used to spit at you over the years are forever etched into your brain. Some of your teammates become the best friends you've ever had and will ever have. Not to mention, it's a pretty good feeling to know after a bad loss in an intramural game that you don't have to worry about running suicides for an hour at practice the next day. Playing the game you have loved your whole life during the four years that you begin to mature can teach you so much more than how to further your athletic ability.
Whether you are a wide-eyed underclassman who recently cracked the line-up, or a well-established junior moving full speed ahead toward your final year, take a moment or two to reflect on everything that you are passionate about in your respective sport. Be grateful that the game has been so good to you, good enough to have taken you this far. Take pride in pushing yourself to improve. Listen to your coaches, on and off the court/field/ice. Be thankful to your parents, your friends and whoever else supported you over the years. Put your letterman on and bask in the warmth! Be proud of your team, and every moment that you've all experienced together. A few years from now, you may not be headed to the pro's, maybe not even to the NCAA, but you will have a lot to remember and be grateful for as a washed up high school athlete.
