The people who you see playing on that field or court all share at least one thing in common. Even those who are playing professionally were once one of us. We all come from different places such as huge universities like the Ohio State University and smaller high schools like Bishop Watterson. No matter what level, we are held to the standard to excel in the classroom and in our sport. We are student athletes, and this is us.
Physiologically, sports are an outlet for us so we can relieve some of our stress and take a break from the books. In addition, sports build a strong schedule for us so we stay involved and are surrounded by great people to help us through our everyday struggles. Our coaches become our mentors and part of our family who help us on and off the field. Our teammates become our brothers or sisters that stay with us through the good and bad.
We sacrifice our sleep and wake up two hours earlier than everyone else to make it on time to the morning practice or lift. We may complain about it, but honestly we wouldn't have it any other way because we love what we do. Sometimes we go to our classes in our practice clothes because we do not have enough time to change. Then, we spend an extra two hours after classes to practice, and somehow we still manage to get our homework done. On top of this we are expected to have a social life. Even though it seems that we do not have much time left, we still make time for our friends and have fun.
Even when we are not practicing we are always working on something. Yeah coach gave us the day off today, but we have to spend some of it in the training room. We are either trying to recover from an injury or we just need to take an ice bath because we are super sore. The rest of the day is dedicated to catching up on studying or, if we are lucky, catching up with friends.
Sometimes we do not get to go home for break because we are in season. When we do have the opportunity to go home for break, the expectations don't change; we are still expected to practice and get better. We find time to lift and practice while still spending time with our friends and family.
Winning the championship or beating our rivals is the icing on the cake. It isn't just about the success and glory. Having the opportunity to continue doing what we love is what makes it all worth it. You do not just make friends, you join a family who will always support you. They are just like family because even though they may drive you crazy sometimes, you will always love them. We get to continue doing what we love with a group of people that we love.
Yeah practices are hard, and we miss sleeping in but we are student athletes; we were made for this.
