Considering my Track and Field season is ending, it got me to thinking: why do I juggle athletics and academics? Why do I put myself through hours of running and studying only to have the biggest meet and exams right around the corner? I even saw people at the conference meet writing papers and studying in between events because their exams were either happening or were coming up the following week. Is it because I think I can handle it? Sometimes it feels like I cannot, but then I remember why I do all of this.
What makes being a division three student-athlete worth it all is not the fact I will go on to a be pro-runner or anything of the sort, but that I am doing something I love for as long as I can while getting an education that will prepare me for my career.
Many people in athletics may not continue to go on in their sports, but strive for other goals in their education. It does not mean that the sport they love will be gone and they will not participate in them anymore. I am pretty sure that I will continue to run after college, but calling myself a collegiate athlete only lasts so long. There is also a time limit on calling myself a college student. Some graduates may go on to graduate school for their masters or even doctorates, but there will be others will go immediately into the working world.
Saying all of this may seem sad, but it is a reality that has to be faced whether you are a student, athlete, or both. Not all of this has to be sad. Yeah, not all of us will go and became Olympic gold medalists or set every record. We go to Division 3 colleges to get an education and enjoy the sports we love leaving behind a legacy of academic and athletic excellence. The students who follow us will look to are example and remember us through our actions in the classroom and the sporting arena we competed in. The adventure does not end here after college because leaving school is the only beginning of what I would consider to be great adventure.
