After all the years of playing [insert sport here] since you were a child, your competitive high school career has come to an end. If you were anything like me, you had tears pouring down your face while you watched the clock tick down to zero as you dropped to the field, all in denial that it's over. A few days later the “ending” feels bittersweet. Is it really over? After all the long practices, team dinners, games, conditionings, and crazy schedules that came along with being a high school athlete, you feel you’re finally ready to walk away from the field and enjoy the free time at college, just like all the non-athletes did in high school that you envied….
That life that they lived that you wanted at times seems so glamorous now. However, after your second nap of the day and binge-watching "Grey's Anatomy" for the fifth day in a row, you realize this life isn’t all it was cracked up to be. You sit there and find yourself missing that strict schedule you were on, and all the time you spent with your team, your second family. Taking a trip down memory lane, you realize IM sports just aren’t the same…
Here is a list of things we all miss about high school sports:
1. Being in the best shape you have ever been
2. Being surrounded by your best friends
3. That one song you always had to listen to in order to focus
4. Weird game day traditions…like that sports bra you swore was lucky however, it never gave you perfect results
5. Dressing up on game days
6.Finding your name in the newspaper
7. Being known by your last name and jersey number
8. Playing against your rival
9. Seeing your friends and family in the stands
10. Having your name announced
11. Wearing your significant other's jersey or team hoodie proudly
12. Arguing with the referees
13. Making posters
14. Playing under the lights
15. The smell of the field
16. Having that player-coach bond
17. The nerves during the national anthem
18. Your first Varsity game
19. Celebrations after a goal, touchdown, point or basket
20. Game day shirts
21. Having a constant stress-reliever
22. Making lasting friendships
23. New cleats or shoes
24. Locker-room dancing
25. Being a part of a not only a team, but another family
Moral of the story: for those who are still in high school--do not take these sports for granted. I wish I could play one more game in a Lancer uniform. I loved playing, but my love for the game grew tremendously when I wasn’t able to play it as often. IM sports are great, but they’re nothing like you’re used to. Let's face it, there is nothing better than high school sports...the glory days. Although we will never fully participate like we want, we will always have these memories to look back on. So hang up your Varsity jacket, but don't hang up the cleats just yet. IM sports may not compare, but it is another opportunity to play the game you love in a less stressful environment. We know we were always told that "winning doesn't matter," it is all about having fun!
