I remember dreading practice every day after school, wanting to skip my morning workouts and hating waking up early on a Saturday morning for a game.

High school sports, however, along with being a huge commitment, were undoubtedly one of the best parts of my high school career. Nothing compares to coming out on top after an upset, stuffing your face at a pasta dinner at least once a week and realizing that the friendships on your team go far beyond the field.

As a college student now, one who chose not to play collegiate sports, I find myself missing my team and sports more than anything. As I watch the Bruins take on the Pac-12 in football during the fall and now basketball this winter, the nostalgia is as high as ever. From the pre-game warm-ups to the team huddles to exciting wins and the heartbreaking losses, I find myself missing my old team and sports back home, wishing I could have just one more season.

Sure, intramural sports are fun, but it just isn’t the same. I wish I could be down there, be part of a team and play the sport I love. But in the back of my head, I know prioritizing academics was still the best choice.

I miss the anxiety at the line before every hurdle race. I miss the paradox of track workouts between dreading the workout all day in school and feeling that sense of accomplishment like no other as you finish the last rep.

I miss having a rival in soccer and knowing everyone on the team wanted that victory more than anything else. I miss dressing up in all white on our home turf waiting for the first whistle to blow.

As college brings on hundreds of new experiences, sometimes it is hard to remember where you came from and how you got to where you are today. However, my high school sports and those experiences will never be forgotten. Being on a team built character I wouldn’t have learned otherwise. It creates commitment to your sport and to your team.

So, to my high school teams, thank you.

Thank you for giving me memories I’ll never forget, giving me experiences I was lucky enough to learn from and giving me something to miss.

Although I constantly wish I could go back and keep playing, I’m more than thankful for the time I had as a high school athlete. In the next part of my life, I’m blessed to be at such an athletically driven university, where talent and hard work coincide to create what is known as a Bruin.

Even though I now have to live vicariously through the UCLA Bruins the same way many other former athletes now do across the country, I know I’ll always have the understanding and respect for a team that only an athlete could have.

From an ex-high school athlete to another, don’t worry. We all miss it, too.