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Being A D3 Athlete

"I wouldn't change my life for anything."

Mady Ellinger

Feb 27, 2017

Calvin College

Mady Ellinger

This past weekend my teammates and I started our softball season in the U.P. This weekend showed me that I not only play a sport that I love, but out of it I gained 18 new family members.

We spent 16 hours on a bus together, we ate 8 meals together and we played 4 games together. So as you see we spent pretty much every second of everyday together. And guess what? I didn't get sick of any of them. I wish I could describe in gracefully written words about how amazing being a student athlete is at a D3 school, but in all honesty I'm pretty sure this article would turn into a novel.

When you are a D3 athlete, you not only have your parents and teammates cheering you on; you have every other sport cheering you on also. At my school each team is given a brother or sister team. This means those teams turn into the BIGGEST supporters for that team. This year we were given basketball. We went to as many games as we could and during this past weekend while they were in the MIAA Championship tournament we streamed every game cheering them on while we were in a dome in the middle of nowhere. (They won the tournament because they are the best.) While we were playing our games, the baseball team were watching our games online. You don't just play for you and your team as a D3 athlete, you play for every other team and your school because they are also playing for you and your school.

Coming into college I didn't know what to expect as a student athlete. But it turns out all the stress and lack of time you have sometimes is so worth it because you and a crap ton of other athletes are right there beside you doing the same thing as you. You are apart of this amazing community of people who love what they do just as much as you and are always winning to help in anyway possible.

Sometimes some people think you might sick of being around the same 18 people everyday for multiple hours but in all honesty, all it does is bring people closer. And I love it.

I wouldn't change my life for anything. Because if I didn't play a sport I wouldn't be able to eat as much as I do. And that really bumbs me out.

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Being A D3 Athlete

"I wouldn't change my life for anything."

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Or at least try to do.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

2. I will look decent for class.

3. I will go to the gym more.

4. I will go to the library and study more.

5. I will meet new people.

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

2. Disappointed you let it get this bad

3. Distracted: When a 10-Minute Break Becomes an Hour

4. When the Yearning for Sleep Sneaks Up

5. In the words of Lorelai Gilmore "Coffee, Coffee, Coffee"

Oh, so done.

You need sleep, but also have 13 things due in the span of 4 days.

1. When it's December 1 and you have seven things due, three exams, and haven't slept in three days.

2. So you stress.

3. And cry.

4. Then call your mom to cry some more.

5. After the pep talk, you feel determined to get everything done.

6. But, now you're tired.

7. And really hungry.

8. Suddenly, it's 2 a.m. and you have only written three sentences and your paper is due in the morning.

9. You've made it to Friday... somehow.

10. Then Sunday hits and you find yourself back at the Lib.

11. So you cry some more.

12. But, you fight through the tears to get everything done because you're determined.

13. In the end, you feel on top of the world because you made it through the last week of class alive.

14. But, now it's finals week so good luck.

The ultimate list and gif guide to a college student's brain during finals.

What does the world outside the library look like?

Can I read this entire book tonight?

I should have gone to class more often.

Did the professor even teach this?

What is the lowest grade I can get on this exam and still pass the class?

Should I just drop out of school now?

Finals are ruining Christmas.

Just wrote three sentences so time for a break.

Need. More. Coffee.

What is sleep?

I'm too stupid for college.

Brain hurts.

Time for a Facebook Break.

I think I'm dying.

When will I ever need this information in the real world?

I can't read any of my notes.

I need my mom.

When was the last time I showered?

I need study snacks.

The struggle is so real right now.

"I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever else invented copy and paste. Thank you."

1. I'm so tired. I need a nap. Maybe I can sleep with my eyes open in class? Or pretend I'm not napping?

2. We have a test today? Why didn't anyone tell me? Did I know this?!

3. Can I quit school yet? It's only October, and I need a vacation.

4. The struggle is so real.

5. I'm so broke. SOS.

6. Stressed? Eat everything you own in your pantry and stuff your face with all your feelings.

7. "Did we have anything due in class today? Homework? Quiz? Test?" "Not that I know of..."

8. I need food. Where is the closest place to get food? I need it stat.

9. This is the longest day of my life. I need a drink, or two, or three.

10. Sleep? What is sleep? What a foreign concept.

11. When someone suggests going and studying in the library, let alone studying in general.

12. When the cafeteria or student center is packed and you can't find a seat anywhere so you literally have to sit in an abandoned corner.

13. When you see someone you used to hook up with. They see you, and approach you; so you have to pretend like everything is normal.

14. When you get your exam and realize you didn't study as much as you should have.

15. When you crush it on an exam or paper that you totally bullshitted.

16. I need a grande, extra strong coffee to get me through today.

17. When the professor announces you have a project due the following week with no instruction on what it's on and how to do it.

18. Is it Friday yet? Where's the weekend when you need it most?

19. It's freezing in here. I feel like I'm sitting in an igloo. I should have brought a jacket or worn long pants.

20. Did I remember my book? Damn, I forgot the book, and of course I need it for that quiz in class.

21. I would pay a million dollars to not go to class today; or actually never again.

22. I need a hoverboard to ride to class. Maybe then I wouldn't be running 15 minutes late to class every day.

23. Oh she/he's cute! I wonder if they're single. Who are they texting? They're BF/GF? I wonder if they think I'm cute. Could they be a potential new bae?

24. Why is there never any parking? I pay thousands of dollars a year for one parking spot to be open.

25. When it feels like you've been in class for an hour and you look at your phone and it has only been five minutes (I'm crying on the inside).

26. When the professor asks if there are any more questions at the end of class and someone raises their hand.

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