As you start to make your college decision, I am sure for some of you athletics has been on the forefront of your decision. You have played sports all your life and you know that going forward it is something that you want to keep doing.
However, you’re not quite sure what its all about. How am I going to fit it all in? Will I like the team? Will I ever sleep? Can you do a sport and major in ____? My answer to all of these questions is yes and I am going to break down why I think choosing to do a sport in college may be the best decision you can make for your college/future career.
1. You learn/have the dedication to a common goal – As a college athlete you are a team player, you work with a team to get things accomplished, and when that team doesn’t work together you will never make it far. In every major/career at some point you are going to have to work with a team, your going to have the leg up and advantage because you know how to problem solve in a team setting and have had plenty of practice.
2. You have an instant group of friends – From the first day of orientation when you meet people and you find the common denominator is your sport or that they are going to be your teammate in the upcoming season you instantly have a friend group to associate with and people to hang out with. Your team becomes your family and helps you get through that transition from being a high school senior to a college freshman
3. You will learn how to juggle a busy schedule- Sink or swim you better be ready, with your planner/i pod/i-phone in hand. You will spend a lot of time at practice, on the road traveling, or playing in your games so you better have a planner to keep it all straight. It has been my life saver many a times for me and I wouldn’t ever go without it; it keeps me on track and helps me to not get behind nd this is something that you can carry into life beyond college sports.
4. You’re going to have a blast– College athletics brings a whole new level of training, challenging thinking, and pushes you beyond what you thought you could do; it is amazing! You will love how your body feels and, trust me, you will probably get the best night’s sleep when you are in the middle of season!
5. Even if you’re not the best on your team you always still have something to contribute-Maybe you were the standout in a small school but coming to Nazareth you are now just average. It happens. Use it as motivation to keep you pressing forward to your goal. Don’t ever let anyone discourage you from participating in a sport because its “too hard” or its “too stressful” every situation is what you make of it. If you want to win and you want to do it you can.
6. There are so many small things you will learn along the way – You will be surprised how fast four years of athletics goes; it will be gone before you know it and you will find yourself looking back on it and realizing all the small things you learn along the way. You look back and realize that in almost every facet of your life, athletics has played a role in shaping that part of you.
So my last words of advice from a swammer herself is try it…the worst thing that can happen is you decide you don’t like it and no one is going to fault you for that. But if you don’t make that jump and give it a shot you will forever miss out on the fun, tears, hard work, and grit that comes along with being a D-III athlete.
Naz is an awesome place to be an athlete. Read more about why Laruen thinks being a student athlete at Naz is the best thing ever and Jenn’s reflections on the skills she learned as a student athlete.
