Staying active and being involved in many activities is something that I have always cherished. They both play very important roles in my life, and I am extremely thankful for the many opportunities that I have had to be a part of sports teams and other extracurricular activities. To me, it is very important to have a good balance between school and other activities. Having your nose stuck in the textbooks all of the time is great and will get you far in life but building and having close relationships with people outside of school and through sports is a great way to make lifelong friends. I am not only thankful for having the opportunity to continue being involved in a sport while in college, but also for my amazing teammates. Below are a few reasons why they deserved to be thanked.

1. Motivation:

No matter what, they always know the right things to say and are always so motivating and encouraging especially when I no longer am able to motivate myself. One of the biggest issues that I have is that I am very tough on myself especially if I feel as though I let myself and my team down. No matter the circumstances, it is always nice to have a group of supporters telling and encouraging you to keep pushing yourself to do your best.

2. Confidence:

Confidence is something that I lack especially on the field. I often times feel like I do not belong because I am surrounded by a bunch of amazing athletes whose abilities far surpass mine. Typically I do not have a lot of faith in my abilities and I would like to thank them for this new found confidence that I have recently discovered due to them believing in me when I do not even believe in myself. If my teammates see something in me, then I must find the confidence to dig deep and live up to their expectations.

3. There for you:

There have been many times throughout the course of the semester when everything seems as if it is going terribly wrong. With a difficult course load comes stress and at times it was taking a toll on me. On many occasions, some of my teammates noticed when I was upset and were always there for me no matter what. They never failed to make themselves available in order to be a good listener and a good shoulder to cry on.

4. Responsibility:

If you know me personally you know that I have the potential to be the laziest person ever. Being involved in a team has allowed me to learn and gain a sense of responsibility. I owe it to myself, but most importantly my teammates to take responsibility and do what is needed to be done in order to become a better player such as working out in my free time and bettering my skills. I am also thankful for the many leaders on my team that are great examples of what it means to truly be a student athlete. Taking care of responsibilities in the classroom first before doing anything related to athletics.

5. Family:

Most importantly I am so thankful for the team dynamic that made the transition into college go very smoothly. It was nice getting to bond and get to know each and every one of my teammates both on and off of the field. Although there were times when the tension was high between us as a whole, I wouldn’t want to spend all of my time with any other group of people. We are a team, but most importantly a family that will stick by each other no matter what. Family is a value that is stressed for our team and I am so thankful that I was able to find a family while at school.