My team in high school was one of the most important groups of people I have ever had in my life. There was definitely some realization of that in high school, but the full impact of how much they meant to me did not quite hit me until I got to college. For anyone who has ever been on a cross country team or track and field team, you know a little something about those unbreakable bonds. These are people who you have sweated out 16 quarters on the track with, while other sports teams stood by idly going “you’re crazy”. The people who when it was below freezing, made you laugh and keep from actually freezing on runs. You’ve shared sweatpants, spikes and way too many hair bands to count. They have seen you at your highest, after an amazing workout, and at your lowest, when the race just totally fell apart. They are more than just friends or teammates, they become your family.
When I got to college I didn’t really experience homesickness. Sure I missed having my parents and brother around, but that was it really. I was just so ready to dive into new experiences I didn’t really have time to linger on the past. The pangs of missing my team have been random and sporadic; triggered by a reference that would have made us all die laughing, or on days where all I really wanted was not just a hug, but a long run to vent with the people who knew me best. The routine of running with them after school and every Saturday didn’t even hit until school started.
Teammates are there when you fall apart and are ready to put you back together. The experiences we’ve shared were in total are just so ridiculous, that from the outside, you would really think that we just made them up. It’s not just the physical act of running with them that is missed, It’s all the other little million funny quirks put together.
Though I do not have that exact same group of specific people here at school I know that they’re always going to be there for me. Being at a new school provides me with the opportunity to make a new team. A team of classmates, hallmates and others such as sisters in my sorority. Having a team in life is great because you know that they’re going to be there to love you, support you, and above all just have some fun with you.
