Dear Parents,

As a collegiate athlete, I sometimes take for granted how important parents are in the making of a student athlete. So I thought I should let you know how grateful I am for everything you have done to get me where I am today.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to play my sport in the first place. Not everyone gets the opportunity to find a sport that really defines who they are as a person. Thank you for letting me enjoy my sport for so long. Thank you for learning the sport with me. You didn’t have to take time out of your life to understand the sport but you did anyway, just so you could be more involved.

Thank you for spending your time and money on coming to every single game or tournament, no matter how boring. You could have spent your time doing something else, but instead, you spent your valuable free time at my athletic events. You could have spent your money and days off on your dream vacations but instead, you used it all on me so I could spend more time doing what I loved.

Thank you for knowing that you are not my coaches. I know it can be really difficult to find that balance on the sidelines. Thank you for always being my #1 cheerleaders and refraining from being my coaches.

Thank you for not caring if I won or lost, but only that I tried my hardest. Thank you for encouraging me to focus on doing my best. Because of this, I have learned to pay attention to the whole experience rather than just the end product. Thank you for being supportive of me even when I failed. Even when I am disappointed in myself, you never were. You taught me to accept my failures as something to bounce back from which made me stronger in everything I do.

Thank you for telling me that school came first. By keeping such restrictions, I have learned to prioritize and succeed in various different things. Thank you for standing up for me when people asked what the point of playing collegiate sports was. Some people don’t understand the significance of competitive sports after high school. Thank you for seeing it as more than just another activity to put on my college applications and as something that I genuinely love. Thank you for letting me continue with what I love and supporting me all the way.

With love,