This article is for all the seniors who have gone through or are going through their last season of a high school sport.
It starts out the same: the pre-season meetings, the soreness the first few days, the playful banter. You don’t realize this is the last time you will be a part of this until one of the underclassmen asks you what your plans are for next year. Then it hits you: I will be doing “blank” this time next year, not this. Not here.
This is the last time you will get to spend hours each day with the people you’ll always remember. This is the last time you’ll warm up for competition with the people you’ve grown up with. It is a time of many lasts.
So what makes the feeling of cessation okay? Knowing that every second you got to spend on the court, on the field, or on the track was a blessing. As they say, “don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened,” and you were lucky enough to be a part of it. There are few things as special as a close team that day in and day out are able to depend on each other.
I urge you not to take those teammates for granted but instead let them know just how much they actually meant to you. Thank the ones who pushed you, appreciate the ones who befriended you, and acknowledge all of them for their hard-work. So as all of our high school athletic careers come to an end, be proud of what you achieved and be content with what you didn’t. There are no do-overs or rewinds, so remember to enjoy every second you have doing what you love. Before you know it, the clock will hit zero, and high school sports will have been a thing of the past.