On a normal day way back in the sixth grade, a friend of mine asked me something that changed the course of my life for the next seven years. She asked, “Will you please come to a junior crew practice with me?” I had no idea what crew was and she had to explain to me that it’s the sport of rowing, but once she was finished explaining I said no thanks. Then she told my mom about it and my mom said, “You have to try it!” and that’s how my fate was sealed. I mean, the junior crew experience featured one practice a week on Saturdays from 10 AM to 12 PM, so I wasn’t exactly dedicated to the sport by the time I reached high school. However, my mother again encouraged me to try my high school’s crew team, which caused the actual lifestyle change. I went from one day of practice a week, to six days a week. Everyday after school, I would perform the strenuous workouts for two and a half hours, then go home, exhausted, and still have homework. Plus, with crew practice year-round, we didn’t have just a couple months of training and then our season was over. We were practicing from August until May, and sometimes June. My winter and spring breaks had practices starting at 7 AM, and our race days could leave us outside for 12+ hours on any given Saturday.

The whole point of me going into detail about the intensity of my high school sport is to stress the impact it had on my life. I went from being a lethargic middle schooler to a high schooler that spent about 80% of my day wondering what we were going to be doing at our next practice. The only breaks we truly had were during summer vacation, and even then I would spend weeks at various crew camps, either helping kids learn to row or just making sure I didn’t get out of shape.

And now, here we are today, heading into my sophomore year of college and I haven’t touched an oar in over a year. I realize that not every high school sport will be as intense as crew can be, yet just because it may not be as time-consuming, doesn’t mean it won’t have a huge impact on your life. Entering college, I knew that I needed a break. The girls crew team at my high school had deteriorated by the time I was a senior, and for the last two years, I was known for getting into fights with the head coach. So when the opportunity came to start college without a sport attached to my name, I jumped at it.

Making the transition from athletic to stagnant is dramatic, but it has its perks. Not having to wake up at 6 AM to spend the early hours of the day strenuously working out is nice. Not having to stress about getting to practice on time or what we may be doing at the next practice is even nicer, in my opinion. I feel as though I’ve gotten a great load off my mind, not having to cancel plans because of a practice or needing to cram in my homework before it’s too late to finish. I’m not saying a sport in college would necessarily stop a person from joining a club or an organization. However, it’s a relief, knowing that I don’t have to make sure something doesn’t coincide with practice before committing. I have an energy during the day that I lacked while I was participating in a sport because all of my focus went towards practice. I’ve been able to fill my newfound free time with a job, various clubs, and sorority events, and all these are things I don’t think I could manage if I were still on a sports team.

That being said, it’s definitely possible to be on a sports team in college while still being involved in Greek life, clubs, or jobs. I wish that I was the type of person that could juggle all those things at once. However, I know that would be a bit too much for myself.

Although it’s nice not waking up early or worrying about a hard workout, there are definitely things that I have a difficult time giving up. Being on a sports team that spends so much time together made my teammates become the closest friends I had. On my high school crew team, I had a tight-knit group of friends that I got to spend all of my time with because we were drawn together almost everyday. The friendships you make on a team are difficult to match in the outside world, and they’re impossible to replace. I also really miss those races when I felt as though my entire team clicked. When you’re rowing down the course and you can feel your boat gliding almost effortlessly over the water, and you can hear the crowd cheering for you as you speed by, it’s an adrenaline rush that’s not easy to forget. Not to mention the fact that it’s great not having to worry about what you eat, since you know that you’re going to burn it all off at practice.

So in the end, no longer being on a sports team is nice in the obvious ways. Sleeping in before class and not having to workout everyday can be a relief after four years of no breaks. However, I have yet to find any situation that can replace the friends you’ll make on a sports team or the adrenaline rush you have when you know that your team is succeeding. I’m very tempted to give the athlete’s life another try in the future, but for now, I’m just going to enjoy my relaxation while I still can.