Dear fellow college athlete,

We all have different stories; maybe you knew you would be in this position early on in your athletic career, maybe this was a dream that you can’t believe is coming true, or maybe you have absolutely no idea how you ended up here, but nevertheless you’re ready to give it your all. Whatever your story is, welcome to the family.You’re in for an unforgettable and unmatchable experience.

I rolled up to the college athletics scene later in my college career. I race triathlon for my school; a sport I didn’t even participate in during high school. You see, I fall into that last category I mentioned above because for me, college athletics was never on my radar. I’ve got a full season under my belt and I’ve learned a few things.

You’re going to want to quit. You’re probably going to want to quit multiple times throughout the season.That’s normal.The work is hard.The time commitment is huge.You will put your body through the physical and mental gantlet. Of course you will want to quit.

You’re going to become a well-rounded person. Athletes get stigmatized as being lazy and having a narrow focus only on their sport. From what I’ve learned, this is far from the truth. Yes, I wear sweats to class, I eat on the go, and I always look like I’m half asleep, but that’s because I’m coming from practice, or I’ve been up since 5am. Plus, what college kid doesn’t do all of these things anyway?

Your teammates will become your best friends, who am I kidding, they’re practically my family away from home. I’m part of a small team. We all got really close really fast. I can go to my teammates for anything at any time and I know they’re going to be there for me. After all, we’ve suffered hours upon hours of practice together, we’ve consumed countless meals together, spent hours on buses together, and basically live together. Not being close was never an option.

You will not regret your decision to play college sports. Yes, I said it. What you are about to embark on is hard. It might be one of the hardest things you’ve ever done in your life, but it is so worth it.The early mornings, the lack of any kind of free time, the constantly being sore, it’s all worth it. The teammates that become family, the competition experiences that you will never get back, the opportunity to leave a legacy for future student athletes to follow, the growth; all of these things and more, make it worth it.

I haven’t even scratched the surface of the amazingly crazy adventure that you are about to embark on. One short letter won’t do that. I wouldn’t be doing you or your sport justice if I tried to cover everything now, or put your experience in a short general letter. Just know it’s going to be hard.It’s going to be fun. It’s a wild ride. You’ll never get this time back.You’ll never have experiences like this again. Enjoy it. Lean on your teammates. You’re making memories that will last a lifetime.

Sincerely,

A Fellow Student Athlete