This article goes out to my fellow ex-athletes who now understand the saying, "There's no 'I' in team."
1. You miss being a part of something and your teammates.
You miss your family. Being on a team means preseason, plus two hours of practice a day, plus game days, and tournaments for four months. You'd think you'd be totally sick of these people; but somehow you end up spending most of your time with them off the field anyways. Needless to say you know all sides of your teammates: you've seen them high on life after huge wins, fuming mad because "that girl was obviously offsides and the ref is out to get me," and sobbing uncontrollably after a tough loss or on senior day. So. Many. Emotions. Your team was your family that you knew way to much about (what happens on bus rides to games, stays on those bus rides).
2. You lose a part of your identity.
In high school you were your sport. One of the ways you defined yourself was as an athlete. As you move on to college, you lose a big part of your life. No more practices, no more games. You're forced to find new things to do. Slowly, you feel less connected to your sport and it's super depressing.
3. You feel like a poser.
Now, you're no longer an athlete. Not technically, anyway. When you meet new people they ask what your interests are and you answer with, "I play soccer/lacrosse/etc.!" Immediately they are very interested -- until you admit that you don't actually play for the college team. You struggle with revealing your interests without being shutdown or getting less respect because you're no longer an official athlete at your school. "I'm a soccer player, well kind of? I used to..."
4. You miss hating other schools.
There's nothing like a sweet rivalry. No matter what sport you played in high school, there was always that one school your team loved to hated. Whether you hated them because you always played them in the playoffs, one of their players injured your teammate, or because one of their players was talking smack, it didn't matter; they were the worst. And if you hated a certain school, you could bet they hated you back. The days you played your rivals were the days you played your best, individually, and as a team. The most rewarding part? If you beat them you had bragging rights for the rest of the year.
5. You miss the uniform (and getting swag gear).
Remember putting on your jersey and walking onto the field with your team looking hella intimidating and badass? Of course you do. Wearing your uniform made you proud. It represented not only your school but all of your hard work that you put into your sport. If you were lucky, your team also ordered swag gear like shirts, sweatshirts, pants, bags, etc. and you pretty much wore them whenever you had the chance. In fact, you probably still wear them in college to the gym.
6. You miss team sleepovers and puffy painting shirts.
Sleepovers, plus cookies, "She's the Man," other necessary sports movies and puffy paint means endless memories and mess. New season? Just another excuse to whip out the puffy paint. Don't even lie. You loved puffy paint. Designing shirts with your last name, number and inside jokes was bomb and team sleepovers were lit. Sure, you ended up sleep deprived with puffy paint in your hair, but the bonding time you spent with your team was well worth it. Maybe you even learned the hard way never to have a team sleepover the night before a game.
7. You miss secret psych.
Who doesn't want a bag of sweetish fish and chocolate to get you going before a game? Possibly the best part of game day was eating your present while reading a letter of encouragement on the bus and trying to guess who they were from. And then possibly the worst part of game day: realizing that you've eaten an entire bag of candy as you're jogging onto the field, even though coach specifically said not to. Whoops.
8. Watching your college play your "old sport" will always suck a little.
You go to games and support your new school, but it's painful because deep down you know you belong on the field! You never used to sit on the sidelines! You'll always be envious of the players on the field and think to yourself, "Pshh, I could have done that." The entire game you'll either be criticizing the formation and saying what the players should have done or should be doing or reminiscing and feeling super nostalgic.
9. You miss your team's traditions.
Chants, handshakes, slow claps, songs, victory dances, pep talks. They were all special. These traditions made your team feel close and you'll always remember them. You miss yelling chants before you ran onto the field and all the little things you did that made your team unique. Sometimes you even miss your coach's angry, "We're better than this!" speech.
10. You miss the sport.
Your sport was your passion. Playing your sport made you feel amazing. Running, dribbling the ball, scoring, passing. You played because you loved it, and you still love it.
Just because you no longer play varsity doesn't mean you have to abandon your passion. Play pick-up games, join club sports, practice. After all, you are an athlete.
