"If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?"
My honest answer -- Not a thing.
Maybe college in general has changed who I am (which is definitely true), but participating in a sport at a collegiate level played a large role in who I have become. Nearly halfway through my college experience, I can happily say I wouldn't choose to change a thing about me.
A lot of people tend to succumb to the stereotypes surrounding college athletics, and many people think that they are a waste, distract students from their education, cause divides on college campuses, and add an unnecessary amount of stress onto an already stressful existence as a college student.
I can admit, not all of these issues are completely wrong. As a student athlete, I am stressed, I do have to manage my time carefully, and I do get a bit distracted by my sport during the season. However, I am forever grateful that I decided to dedicate myself to something that has influenced me in a huge way.
As a high school senior, I was hesitant to play a sport in college. I was paying money for an education, and I didn't want to let anything get in the way of that. But after talking to influential figures in my life, I was convinced to at least give it a try. So I found myself as a member of Bridgewater College Women's Lacrosse team.
As a part of the team, I was sent the dreaded summer workout packet, filled with lifts and runs to get the team in top shape.
This was a whole new world to me; even though I had been an athlete my whole life, never before was I responsible for getting myself in shape, and I had never had to pay such close attention to my physicality and my body in general.
Let me rephrase that -- in high school I paid attention to my body, but never in a positive way. As many young teenagers and young adults can attest, there is an unhealthy obsession with appearance and body image. I myself fell into the group of high-schoolers that was never quite content with how they appeared. Eventually, however, I just decided to accept the discontent I felt in regards of how I looked, and moved on.
My life was changed with that first workout packet. While originally I was hesitant to dive in, I suddenly found myself in love with working out. Running wasn't a chore, it was a way to start my day. Lifting wasn't hard work, it was a stress relief. After a lot of hard work (two years to be exact), I've put on about 20 lbs of muscle, and I'm definitely the biggest I have ever been, and definitely the happiest.
As someone who once struggled with body image and appearance, I realize that the "old me" would have been horrified to think about that. But after giving it some thought, I realized that while in high school, I didn't have control of my body, and in turn I hated it. But given the opportunity to take control of my body, build muscle, and get into shape, I suddenly understood what a positive body image is.
College athletics saved my opinion of myself.I now know I am in good shape (thanks to myself), I am able to manage my own social life, class load, and practice schedule (thanks to myself), I can run five miles without complaining (thanks to myself), and I can now squat 200 lbs, and walk confidently in heels (thanks to myself).
People's body image is damaged when they are flooded with pictures and images of people with pristine skin, chiseled abs, and flawless bodies, While I can admit that I have none of those things, I am in fact the most confident I have ever been. Not because I meet the "ideal" image of beauty, but because I have created a body that is strong, and in turn I have created a mindset that is unstoppable.
College athletics saved me. It saved me from a poor body image and gave me a confidence that I thought was impossible as a high school senior. And while I'm far from "perfect" there is not one thing I would ask to change about myself.
And while not everyone has the opportunity to be a collegiate athlete, everyone has the ability to love themselves. Regardless of why you may have an issue with self-image, I can attest to taking control of your body. Go for a walk, eat a healthy snack and drink a glass of water. The little things go a long way; and while we may never be perfect, we sure can be happy with ourselves.
And in my opinion, that's basically the same thing.
