When I came to school, the one thing I worried about most was adapting to life without soccer. I left behind eleven years, 22 seasons, and the very center of my well-being. No more game day jitters, no more blisters, no more bus rides to away games, no more daily practices and no student athlete title. I realized how hard it would be to say goodbye, but I never realized how bad it would hurt until this semester.
Back home, the school soccer season is in the spring. Tryouts begin in November, team divisions are in January, and season games start mid-February. The beginning of the semester kicks right into conditioning season. After the blood, sweat and tears of preseason, the program is split into Varsity and Junior Varsity squads. The pressure begins during the limbo between team cuts and games. This time period defines how the season will begin. Team bonding, set plays and new drills are incorporated into each week’s schedule to find a balance of strength in each player. Once that balance is set, let the competition begin.
With all this in mind, spring semester has always been the most exciting and hectic time of the year for me. Without the emotions and time commitments, I have had an increasingly hard time accepting the fact that my soccer career is over. When the temperature drops, I immediately think about shaking out my frozen toed cleats and numb fingertips during halftime and water breaks. When the sun shines and the air sweeps a refreshing breeze, I remember the excitement of finally practicing without Under Armour and sweatpants. On both gloomy and pretty days, my mind thirsts for a ball at my feet and my teammates beside me.
Since school began I’ve kept a healthy lifestyle, joined clubs, made new friends, played intramural sports and even rushed a sorority. Yet the lessons I learned and the commitments I made throughout my years of soccer will never be replaced. Soccer introduced me to my best friend. Soccer expanded my obsession with fitness. Soccer gave me the strength, courage and determination that I will hold with me for the rest of my life.
Many athletes experience the growing pains of giving up sports for college. To be honest, I completely underestimated the power of spring season nostalgia. My advice to any high schooler or college student reaching the end of their career in sports: appreciate the moments while they last. I would give anything to lace up my crusty cleats as a proud student athlete one more time. As the 80s band Cinderella once sang “you don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone.”