For the last ten years, and still to this day, I have assumed the title of a tennis player. Every summer was spent on the court either playing or coaching. Every single homework assignment during the fall and spring months were done on the sidelines between matches. And maybe the most impactful memory I have of my tennis playing days,, every single Saturday night was at my second home, Rally Point Racquet Club.
After graduating high school and moving onto college, I knew that there were ways to continue the sport itself, but it was not going to be the same. Yes, I love being able to swing a forehead down the alley, or hit the perfect serve, but it was more than that; it was being on a team. Coming into college, I was yearning for that environment where you support each other through the highs and lows, and laugh a ton during it all. And I was lucky enough to find that again in an unexpected way.
When it was brought to my attention that the club field hockey team needed a goalie, I said I was in. At first I said this as a joke, but before I knew it, I was buying a mouth guard and was on the field. Just to put it out there, never in my life have I ever touched anything that resembles hockey, so I knew this would be interesting. I quickly realized I was now a part of a team that had some of the most supportive girls I have met.
During that first practice they lightly hit balls at me so I could feel like I was doing something, and laughed alongside me with every bad miss. Being told that we were playing Boston College the following weekend was a shock, and it went about as expected. As somebody who has chronic performance anxiety, it was terrifying going into something that you knew you were going to be bad at. It felt like the true definition of rejection therapy if I am being honest. Though every goal (all 15 of them) that I let through, my team was right beside me cheering for me anyway. To be a part of a team again in that way truly filled such a void in myself. I would be lying if I didn’t say that this experience has made me miss my tennis team even more, but I am so excited for this new experience. I may have traded my racquet for a stick, but the love for being on a team remains the same.