Somber. Unnatural. Relieved.
Every athlete has a different experience during their college career. Interactions with coaches and teammates, success on the court, injuries and more give every person who participates in college athletics, no matter the level, a unique collection of memories to look back on. So when a college athlete's career comes to an end, when they hang up their cleats, spikes, or court shoes for the last time, the emotions can very different for one person than for the next.
Connor Roudabush ran cross country. Though he described the end of his college career as "somber," he is already looking forward to his next athletic pursuits.
"Knowing it's over now, I'm glad I choose to be an athlete. It gave me purpose and a drive to do well in college," Connor said. "I'm already looking at races to do this year such as the Charleston marathon on Jan 14th and an Ironman Distance triathlon in October."
Jessica Will was a member of the women's soccer team and described the thought of no longer being a college athlete as "unnatural." For many athletes, it's hard to remember a time before they were involved in sports, but they look forward to their next challenge.
"At first dealing with the loss is like mourning the death of a loved one," said Jessica. "As dramatic as that sounds, you mourn for a bit and then you look at yourself and find a new thing to replace the sport you lost. For me it's focusing on becoming a doctor."
Not every athlete is devastated to finish their career. Kyle Clark, a kicker for his football team, said he felt "relieved" to be done.
"Now that it is over and I'm graduated, it's helped maintain a strong sense of balance between social, work, and personal time," he said. "But now that athletics is over I'd enjoy suiting up on game days again."
For me, finishing my senior season of volleyball was overwhelmingly bittersweet. I felt like my team had finally had a season we could be proud of, even if it didn't end exactly how we hoped. Personally, I felt like I had a senior season I would remember for the rest of my life, even as I look forward to graduating soon and starting the next chapter of my life. Although I'm not going to be a college athlete going forward, I am excited to be coaching girls who may one day take the same road I did.
