No matter who you are or where you come from, you will always find your niche. You will find that one thing that will totally consume your life for better and maybe even for worse, yet the most beautiful thing about that is that it didn't matter. There will never be regrets because today, tomorrow, and forever — it will always remain worth it. For me and like many others, that imperfectly perfect niche was sports.
If you were to ask me to describe my sports career in 10 words I'd say: Happiness, blood, sweat, tears, frustrations, victories, failures, family, determination, and adversity.
It's crazy to think about how one decision or influence at a young age can be reflected on years later and to your present day life.
Within a blink of an eye, that one vision became your one goal — only to slowly but surely become the dream you were finally living.
Growing up you will play sports with practically everyone in your class but as you got older and the game became more serious, that number of people participating slowly decreased. But when it comes to my relationship with sports, my parents can verify that I was able to cross-over dribble a ball and hit a line drive off a tee better than I could walk and talk.
There had been times I played an entire duration of a season with broken fingers and sprained ankles, but because I loved my sport so much, I'd ignore the fact that something was wrong internally. I'd avoid doctors at all costs, even when advised by my trainers to do something. I just couldn't let go of the game because there's nothing worse than that heart-wrenching feeling of being helpless on the sidelines.
Some people thought it was crazy that I'd put myself through it but in my eyes, I thought they were the ones crazy for accepting the fact of potentially not being able to play.
Through hard work, drive, discipline, and the grace of God — I was able to achieve my goals and play to the highest level I wanted to achieve. Little did I know that's when I was about to face the truest test of will power and adversity of all.
When it comes to sports, it's a given that at some point or another your body can only take so much of a beating. It's not rocket science yet all athletes will stay stubborn whether they'd like to admit it or not.
There are even times that athletes will stay naive that they aren't invincible and I'm living proof.
I played basketball all year round and went to the batting cages regularly. The older I became the more my shoulder would be ache but, again, that wouldn't stop me. I had recruitment to focus on, stats to beat, and the next level always in mind. Towards the end of my high school career, I knew that my body probably deserved a break but I remained mentally, physically, and emotionally tough.
Playing a sport at the collegiate level was my goal all along and I was finally living the dream — but to this day I still don't understand how but it finally hit me. My body finally said, "no," and heartbrokenly, I was ready to listen.
I would be lying to you if I said I wasn't shedding a tear right now thinking about the day I came to the unwanted decision of putting a halt on my collegiate career. All those hours of hard work — not only did I just put all my time into sports but my family did, too.
This decision was by no means easy but it had to be done because, at the end of the day, we aren't invincible and our bodies are our temples. A permanent shoulder injury because of my stubbornness of wanting to continue playing the game was by no means worth it if one day that would mean I'd have to hold my baby with pain and struggle.
It was not too long ago that while I was discussing sports with a group of people, someone called me a "broken athlete," which I immediately took offense to. Any athlete would take offense to that comment, get real. After expressing a small portion of what was going through my head, they proceeded to correct the term from 'broken' to 'dented,' and naturally — I became even more triggered.
No, I am not 'broken.' No, I am not 'dented.'
Just because I hung up my uniform doesn't make me either of those things, nor will it ever. I might not be on an elite roster anymore but sports will always and forever remain important in my life— even if that means just watching, coaching, or playing for fun.
Whether an athlete is forced to retire or not, it will always cause heartache to some degree that their sports career was put to an end. It shows their strength, triumph, and most importantly, heart.
Everyone is born a warrior and it's only up to that same person how they're going to win the fight. Just like in the movie, "The Sandlot," it couldn't possibly be said any better — heroes get remembered, but legends never die.
