Playing field hockey for the past nine years of my life, it wasn't something that I wanted to give up. After multiple broken ankles and back injuries, it occurred to me that maybe I wasn't going to be able to play at the level that I wanted to anymore. At first, that was a hard pill to swallow, but now I realize that it was the right decision for me.
I think that if I continued playing field hockey in college, I wouldn't have ended up at a school that I truly loved. Sure, I would have learned to love the school, but ultimately I know that Delaware was the right choice for me.
Being without a sport and a team that takes up most of my time was really strange for the fall semester of my freshman year. It was my first year being away from home as well as my first year without my sport. For the past nine years I had pre-season in August followed by an entire fall season, and this year in my freshman year of college I didn't have any of that. I didn't have teammates to keep me going like I did in high school and I knew that I had to find that feeling elsewhere.
So when February came around, I decided to rush a sorority. I missed having a team in my corner like I had for field hockey all those years, so I figured that a sorority would be the next best thing. Luckily for me, I was right.
It turns out that joining a sorority was just what I needed. The sisterly bond was exactly what my college experience was missing. I immediately felt at home and I know that I was finally filling the void of missing my teammates. Although I'm still missing field hockey, I have the group of people and supporters that I need in my life and I'm so thankful for that.
You're always going to miss the sport that you gave up, whether you think that you could have played in college or not. It was such a big part of your life for so long that you'll feel a void without it, but ultimately you're going to find something better that will make you even happier.
I miss playing field hockey every day, but the way you have to look at is that you had a great career. For me, my high school career ended with scoring the only goal in my last game with my team. Then a few of us decided to play in a recreational indoor league over the winter and I honestly think that was the most fun I ever had playing field hockey. The six of us had fun and coached ourselves and we actually ended up winning the league. You have to look back on the moments like that if you can't play anymore, or you won't be able to find something else because you'll be hung up on the sport you gave up.
Although I miss playing, I don't regret my decision to stop playing. I knew that Delaware was the school for me and I knew that with my history of ankle injuries I wouldn't be able to play due to the intensity of Division I field hockey. I didn't want to give up a school that I loved so much for a school that I could play field hockey at, so I ultimately chose Delaware. I think that's one of the best and toughest decisions that I ever made.
