I grew up playing sports across different levels. The thing that was on the top of my college freshman year goals list (of course I had one of those) was to make the club soccer team. I did, and I had a good time. But those days are long gone. I’m a NARP. A what? A Non-Athletic Regular Person, for those of you who don’t already know. And because of that, I am going to keep my commentary to a minimum. This isn’t about me or what I think, it’s about the thoughts of our student (emphasis on the student, always) athletes. Let the games begin!
I am going to alternate between a positive, a struggle, and an unexpected response.
(Varsity Soccer) I’m not going to lie when I say it is a great feeling to walk around campus wearing my team gear and showing that I am part of an athletic program. It is something I have worked my whole life for and am proud of where I am and I’m enjoying every day of my experience. I never regretted my decision to sign because it has been a goal of mine my whole life and I’ve enjoyed my time at school. Not to say everything has been easy, my success has come with hard work at school to become better and improve on the field. When times are tough in the beginning, when things were not going as I planned, my only thought was to work harder and improve rather than quitting. I don’t have the opportunity to join a frat or any other group, but I’m okay with that because I’m already part of a brotherhood with my team and am enjoying it all.
Okay. I felt cool walking around my high school wearing my soccer stuff so I can only imagine that it feels 10x cooler in college. You earned that super cool, dri-fit, waterproof, probably changes color when you get it wet, reversible matching sweatsuit! Show it off! I also love the attitude here. This person is clearly insanely driven and dedicated to the sport. When times got tough, they just worked harder. Some people can’t handle the amount of stress or pressure that comes with being a student athlete, but it’s really great to see how prioritized this person’s sport is to them. And the frat thing, you become okay with missing out on certain things when you realize that something you already have makes up for it. A group of boys is a group of boys, and it’s great that this person can feel that sense of family in his teammates.
2. (Prefer not to say) The hardest part about playing a sport is keeping the drive to do what you do. I can guarantee most athletes at *** do not want to go to practice every single day. Most athletes hate going to practice and envy non-athletes. I regretted signing in the summer before coming to *** when I saw my friends going to state schools with no care in the world, while I worked out everyday stressing about my fitness tests. It was not how I wanted college to be and I’m happy I made the change.
That would be super hard for me too. Everyone has those days where they just don’t feel like doing anything or aren’t in the mood. Athletes don’t have a choice. You can’t just blow off practice because you would rather sit in bed and watch TV and you can’t just not prep for your fitness test because that could be a deciding factor in your playing time. It’s a lot of work, and if in the end you decide that you would rather be doing other things, there is no shame in stepping away. It’s such a cool idea to play a sport in college, but you truly don’t know what it is like until you get there.
3. (Varsity Football) A lot of people see their recruitment from the lens of “I’m playing Division 1 or I’m not playing at all.” For a while, this is how I thought. But I’ve realized that being a D3 athlete affords you a lot of advantages you may not necessarily enjoy at a D1 program. For example, I feel comfortable telling my coach if I have to skip practice because of a meeting with a professor or a make-up exam, and I had the opportunity to study abroad with some of my teammates last winter. When I talk to my friends who play D1 sports, they can’t believe I have these freedoms. For me, D3 has been the perfect fit.”
I love this. I think that as kids or as young athletes, we have this vision in our heads of going pro or playing D1 sports in college. What those kids don’t think of is what else comes along with being a D1 athlete. The hardship of balancing a D1 schedule, a school schedule, a social schedule and some downtime is not an easy task. While that’s a great move for some, it’s not for others. D2 and D3 programs aren’t any less competitive, tough, beneficial or great, they just allow for a slight bit more flexibility in the world that exists outside of the sport itself. If I was trying to play sports in college, I would definitely look for a D2 or D3 program. Just knowing myself I would get way too overwhelmed with it all.
4. (Prefer to not say) I spent my entire childhood playing sports and it’s how I met most of my friends and built my strongest relationships. Although I never wanted to play college sports, I always kept an open mind to playing club, which I ended up following through with my freshman year. Playing a club sport really helped me get out my head. Freshman year was hard like it is for most people and having an outlet really allowed me to escape. Club sports are only positive in my mind. If you’re ever on the fence about joining, do it. I remember my freshman year I was so worried about tryouts and I have absolutely no idea why. Sometimes college can be way too confining. There’s class and parties and in between people get lost. I know I did. Club sports are that perfect in between. They give you good clean fun and are an easy way to make some friends. Go for it.
I remember I was super worried about tryouts too, but don’t be. If you don’t make it, join intramural sports! Yes, I loved the sport itself when I played, but to me it was always about the team and having a different group of girls outside of my friends from school. If anything, club or intramural sports are a great way to make friends and meet new people. And like this person said, it’s so easy to get lost while trying to navigate college, and having something constant and grounding like a sport can really be of great help.
5. (Varsity Volleyball) While I love it most of the time, there was a time where I was so miserable and wanted nothing more than to transfer or quit. I wasn’t going to let myself do that without trying to get to the root of the problem first though. I had to learn how to get through my mental health challenges and then I had to learn how to make improvements on the team...it completely changed how I was feeling. I no longer dreaded practice. It also led to other great meetings about leadership. I learned how to be a part of the solution rather than complain about the problem. I wouldn’t trade being a college athlete for anything. Even if some days my body feels as though I’ve been run over by a bus, I would sign those commitment papers again and again. Volleyball has given me my best friends and my most favorite experiences.
I think my favorite thing about this is how they took it upon themselves to try and change the situation first before deciding to step away. There are so many athletes out there who I am sure aren’t happy with the way things are going, whether it’s team dynamics, playing time, the way it’s making them feel or the program in general. If you take anything away from this one, let it be that you have the power to do something about it! There is a reason why you have stuck with the sport for so long and there is a reason why you chose to play in college in the first place, so try and find that reason again.
6. (Varsity Soccer) It’s not at all what I imagined it would be. I think it’s that your whole life you play to be able to compete at the college level and then once you get there it seems like the motivation from players isn’t like it was during club. In college you have players that are 17-mid 20’s and the mentality definitely changes from when you were playing in high school or middle school. People become interested in things other than that one sport and it’s really noticeable. It’s almost like an unspoken thing that everyone realizes but no one will admit that your sport isn’t the only thing that matters anymore.
This is so interesting to me. You would think that once you reach college, everybody would be on the same page and super focused on their team and their sport, nothing else. You all decided to commit yourselves to this team. But, then again, we are young adults, off on our own for the first time and are being exposed to new people and new things, I can definitely see how there is much more room for new distractions to come into play.
If you are thinking about playing sports in college or are about to be, let me know if you have any questions and I can try to get them answered for you! Even if your sport wasn’t represented, I will do my best.
If you are or were a student athlete and want to contribute to the upcoming Student Athlete College Confessions, let me know!