Your senior year of high school is finally here. You’ve been looking forward to this since you were a little kid. Your parents, on the other hand, have probably been dreading it. Growing up is a wonderful, yet scary experience. As the months are quickly passing you by, the realization of this being your last year starts to set in. You’ll never have a first day of high school again. This is the last time you will enjoy high school activities, like dances and pep rallies, as a student. Your days of theme dressing to attend athletic events are coming to an end. For athletes, thoughts of your final home game is saddening. This will be your last year to represent your high school as a Trojan, Redskin, Spartan, Ram, Indian, or whatever your school’s mascot is. Soon, the court, mat, field, or pool you have been using to train, practice, and compete, will be a thing of the past. Before you know it, you will graduate and become an alumnus. But for now, cherish every moment. These really are some of the best days of your life.

Don’t forget to spend time with your family while you can. At college, you won’t be able to do all of the things you probably take for granted now, like hugging them or sitting with them on the couch, watching a movie. Being away is tough. There will be times you will wish you could cry on your moms shoulder or jump in your parents’ bed to talk about random things. You will be able to text, Facetime, and call them, but it is not the same as being physically with them. Believe it or not, you are going to miss pretty much everything, even the nagging and bad dad jokes.

College athlete. it has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? Not to mention, there are over 8 million high school student athletes in the United States, but less than 500,000 get this opportunity. If you divide 500,000 between all 50 states, that comes to approximately 10,000 per state. Using Oklahoma as an example, divide that total between the 646 high schools and you get about 15 or 16 per school. Obviously, larger schools will have more players recruited than the smaller schools. Still then, that includes all sports for boys and girls, including football, basketball, soccer, tennis, track, cross country, baseball, softball, swimming, cheer, etc. So, as you can see, you have done something amazing!

No matter what sport you do, it has been your life for a while. You have invested so much because of the love, respect, and passion you have for the sport. All of your hard work and sacrifices have not been for nothing. It wasn’t easy missing sleepovers and birthday parties with friends because you had an out of town tournament. It was hard celebrating most birthdays after games. There were times you were so busy with sports that you neglected your friends and even lost a few along the way. You were forced to grow up in so many ways because of the challenges the game faced you with. You surrendered your pride on occasion, and had to make some hard choices. Let’s not forget the countless nights you stayed up late finishing homework or studying for a test after practice. Oh, and the physical sacrifice you put your body through was not easy. You wore the scars and bruises with pride, knowing they were a symbol of your hard work and dedication to your team. When most kids your age were hanging out with friends, having sleepovers, and enjoying all the things you were sacrificing, it was hard. But now, you are preparing to reap the benefits to all of those tough times and sacrifices. WOW! Step back and take a second to understand what you have accomplished. It is a big deal. Be happy. Be proud.

Also, be thankful. Thank those who helped you get to this point. There were so many coaches along the way that made a contribution. Thank them, no matter how big or small their roll was. Who knows what would have happened without the influence they had, good or bad. Even the coaches that didn’t believe in you did something; they made you better, stronger and work harder. You were mentally stronger than you even knew. As for the coaches that went out of their way for you, stayed late to work with you, sat you down to tell you how talented you were when you couldn’t see it for yourself, and had faith in you when no one else did….give them a call. At least, text or email them to thank them. Writing it might actually make it easier for you to remember everything you want to tell them.

Next, don’t forget to let your family know how much you appreciate them driving you to practice and cheering you on at your games. It has been a lifestyle for your entire family. Many times basketball tournaments were your family vacation. The monetary contribution for uniforms, equipment, fees, camps, training, travel, etc. became an investment plan to your parents. There were countless close matches, or downright frustrating ones, that they gave up their voices and maybe their sanity. When your season comes to an end and you’re making plans to play in college, they will have NO regrets, just joy. They wouldn’t change a thing. Everything they did to assist you in fulfilling your dream was worth it. You are worth it to them. Looking back on all of the sacrifices you and your family made should also make you proud of your family. It takes a lot of love and unity to help each other and support one another in fulfilling their destiny, their dream. It was also an added bonus of meeting other sports families along the way. Many will be lifelong friends to your entire family.

Your journey has helped shape you into the person you are today. It has taught you so many valuable life lessons. Teamwork, hard work, leadership, and sportsmanship are the most notable. You also learned how to win, and how to lose, which are both equally important. You’ve matured and handled yourself with class and dignity in times most adults couldn’t have. You have learned to stay calm and focused in intense situations. Sports taught you to learn from your mistakes and never give up. It helped you realize your priorities and how to make the sacrifices necessary to reach your goals. You learned about pride and that every game is important. Lastly, you see that people will doubt you, but only you can stop you. It molded you into a healthier, happier, and smarter YOU! You stuck with it. You persevered and proved many people wrong along the way. Your love for the game grew more and more over time which led you to this point. Although this chapter will soon come to an end, be glad there is still much more to your story. You are the author to your story. Your next chapter can be anything you want it to be. You have the control. You WILL do big things. You WILL be amazing. You WILL make a difference.

To all of the student athletes pictured, I am so proud of all of you. Every single one of you are amazing in your own way. I have no doubt each and every one of you will be great at whatever you decide to do in life. You all exhibit such amazing talent, dedication, and character. You are natural leaders that will inspire others. I'm thankful to have known all of you.

Laney Fenton, Melton Family, Maximus Koehler, Emma Waresback, Karter Larsen, Ashlyn Fernandez, Nate Bauer, Melanie Potter, Mason Naifeh, Jones Vrska, Kara Speer, Sierra Munoz, Kaylee Stephens, Mighty Mite White Cheer Squad, Union 6th Grade Silver Cheer Squad, Might Mites Union Giants, and 7th Grade Jenks Basketball Team (Meghan, Ashton, Madison, Keller, Holly, Lairen).