Everyone had always told me, "once you end it, you will change."

Ending my sport definitely made my life completely different, but not in a bad way.

I was addicted to the sport that I had grown up with. I played travel for years. I spent countless hours per week on the field, learning more and more about the sport I had fallen in love with. I thought that this was going to be a part of my life longer than it actually was. But after the transition to it not being in my life, I realized there is a lot more out there for me.

I do not regret spending countless hours on the field at all, but I am glad that I have moved onto different things in my life. After all, I met my best friend through it. I am so thankful for the friendships built, the hours spent trying to perfect that one skill you wanted so badly, the sweat from running sprints or the excitement of winning a single game or tournament. My sport changed my life and some of my best memories are on the field, but it was time to move onto a new chapter.

Ending my passion was tough, but I found exciting things that helped me progress to become a better person. One of these things included acquiring a job and making money. This was beneficial to me because I never had a year-round job, just in the summer during weekends when I did not have to travel for tournaments. This change allowed me to become closer with my friends at high school and be able to expand my friendship with new people and the ability to see them in more than just school.

Quitting my sport helped me realize that there was more out there than playing on a field every weekend. I was able to focus on my grades more and become a better person internally. Quitting helped me find a passion that overtops my sport that, now, I could not imagine my life without.

But, the thank you to the coaches who helped me realize these things and realize that there is more to life than just my sport. Especially one that is not played professionally. Although I loved the sport, ending it did not "burn" as much as everyone had said. I am very thankful for the place it has put me and what it has taught me.