“Oh, you play a sport for your college? What division are you guys?”
This is the dreaded question of every DIII college player. When I committed to play tennis at my DIII university, I was so excited, I told everyone I knew. The program was competitive, we had amazing facilities, and I loved my coach. As I started spreading the news, I realized the reason I wasn’t getting as much credit as others was because I had chosen DIII.
“Playing DIII will be nice and easy so that you can enjoy your college experience.” This was the comment that everybody and their mother gave me when I revealed what division I was playing in. I said to myself, "Wow, maybe this is true. Maybe it will be too easy. Maybe it won’t be competitive."
Saying I was wrong is an understatement. I moved in freshman year, and less than a week later my team was lifting in the gym at 7 a.m., doing swim workouts, playing tournaments on weekends, and having three hours practices every day of the week. My life was consumed. But in a good way. It felt so good to be a part of something so productive and so intense. I wanted to call everybody that told me it would be easy and tell them how wrong they were and how exhausted I was.
DIII athletes work hard. They play hard. They train hard. The disparity between DIII and DI athletes is purely imaginary; whether your team is 15 and 0 or 0 and 15, being on a college sports team is a commitment that should not be overlooked.
This summer, as new friends find out I play tennis in college and ask me what division I am, I proudly say DIII. When they give their "you-play-DIII-you-probably-aren't-even-good” look, I just tell them how our season went and what a huge commitment it is.
So to all of you hard-working DIII athletes—correct people when they're wrong. Keep working hard and know that your fellow DIII athletes have your back.
I always think back to those people that told me how lucky I was to have it so easy. Am I enjoying my college experience? Yes. Is being a DIII athlete easy? Absolutely not. Here’s to the DIII athletes that deserve credit for their dedication every single day, and to the most rewarding four years of your life.
