- November 1, 2024
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Cyrus Fagan Photo by Jeff Dawsey
Some student-athletes treat their sports like jobs. They dedicate themselves to their craft on a daily basis. They sacrifice friendships, the chance to make extra money with a part-time job, and some even trade out TV time for a playbook.
Those athletes spend all of that time for a couple months’ worth of games – games that should be given 100%, because students never get them back.
Every athlete wants to end the season on top of a podium, receiving the golden championship medallion. If that doesn’t occur, students begin to interrogate themselves. “What more could I have done to get there? Did I push myself to the max? Did I push my teammates? Did we really give it our all?”
For some of the sports, conference, district and even regional play has concluded. That means some student-athletes’ 2016 seasons have ended. It went by pretty fast, right? I wonder how many seniors have already shed tears, knowing they have hit their last high school golf ball or spiked their last prep volleyball. I wonder how many underclassmen hate the fact that they have to wait an entire year before redeeming their last performance.
While seasons have ended for some, others are still competing. And what exactly does that mean for them? They can finish their year with no regrets. No matter how mistakes they or their teammates have made, these students are still in it. No weightlifting session should be cheated. When running suicides, every line should be touched with emphasis. An extra basket of golf ball should be hit during practice.
Student-athletes should do all within their power to make it to this season’s finish line and be able to proudly exclaim, “I gave this year everything I had.”
The offseason is brutal. The offseason is hot. The offseason is uncomfortable, and the offseason is twice as long as the actual season – sometimes longer. With all the hard work it takes to make it through the offseason, in order to finally enjoy the regular season, now is the time to make that work count. Student-athletes, finish strong. Make sure you remember this year for all of the right reasons.
