Sports soon become a big part of kids’ lives. For me, I picked up a ball when I was 4 years old and ran with it, never looking back. I made a name for myself by putting on a jersey that just had a number on it and going to war with my fellow teammates. I never imagined that one day it would all be over with one final whistle blown by the referee.
Let me tell you it’s the worst feeling in the world. You will take that uniform off for the last time and it will sit in that locker room waiting for another teammate to represent. Just like that, the jersey that has experienced your blood, sweat, and tears will just have stories that are waiting to be told. I was always told, “Play for the name on the front and people will remember the number on the back.” That isn’t true anymore; another person will have that number, and you will soon join the club of being just another has been.
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We will all experience what we label as our last season rather if it’s in high school, college, or even middle school. No matter what, we all experience the same emotional roller coaster of a season. Don’t let the hype of this keep you from enjoying what it is. Don’t allow pressure to build of trying to keep this season going because it will eventually come to an end no matter what. Take it day by day and just live it to the fullest with your family and have fun.
Before you know it the season has come to an end this is the last game there is no turning back. Emotions start to hit you like a rock and your teammates distant themselves trying to make this a fairy tale ending, but you don’t want any of it. You don’t want to give a fair well speech if it means more time on the field. They will shower you with gifts and memories that you have poured out on the field for four years.
It will all be over with the final whistle. You begin to bawl harder as you shake hands for the last time with the opponent. You'll walk off the field and all the time you have dedicated yourself to the game will be over. The identity that you have built yourself around this sport will soon be washed away and it will be time to make a new name for yourself.
It was hard to grasp the concept of not having soccer in my life because it was such a big part of me growing up. I excelled at it and gave everything I had to it. Soccer is what shaped me into the person that I am today. I will never forget all the places I traveled to and the people I met. I soon understood that just because this chapter was coming to an end doesn’t mean it was the last of my “glory days." It was just time to take a different role. I soon got involved in youth soccer and wanted to give back what I had the pleasure of experiencing.
You can’t avoid your last days; the time will eventually come. When the time comes, you will part ways with your teammates and hang your cleats up and throw in your jersey one last time. You will say goodbye to a sport that was once your whole that made you who you are today.
