Dear High School Athletes,

Coming from someone who played sports year-round throughout high school, don't take any of those moments for granted. You see it year after year, the seniors getting emotional after their very last game, and you can only imagine how they must be feeling. Until it is you playing your very last time. And you stop yourself before you leave the locker room and you take in that moment because it's your last warm up, your last time playing with your team. You look back on all the practices that you dreaded going to, the long bus rides after a great game and what seemed like even longer bus rides after a tough loss. And that's when you realize just how fast it all ended. That's when you realize that you wish you could have it all back.

There comes a time in every athlete's career where they have to say goodbye to the sport that they love, for some it's after high school, and for others it's after college. Even the lucky few that get to make a career out of it end up having to say goodbye at some point. And you'd think that the goodbye would be the hardest part, at least that's what I had thought, but the hardest part comes later on. It hits you when you're least expecting it. One day you'll be walking by the field you used to play on, or you'll find yourself at the court where you had your final game, and that's when you'll feel it. You're overwhelmed with nostalgia and more than anything else, you'll just want to play one last time.

So for those of you who haven't had to say goodbye quite yet, and for those of you who sometimes find yourself taking those moments for granted, try to take a step back. Even if it's just for a second or two before your games, allow yourself to take it all in, and vow to go out and play with everything you've got. Try to enjoy every bus ride, every team bonding experience, every win and every loss, because that is my only regret. As I'm sure many former high school athletes can relate. I spent too much time focusing on all the wrong things. I spent too much time dreading those late night and early morning practices, and too much time thinking about how I could've played better, and how I should've tried harder. I didn't realize how much I'd miss my jersey until I couldn't wear it anymore. So before it's too late, and you find yourself hearing the whistle blown for the very last time, or the buzzer announcing that you're no longer a high school athlete, make memories and have no regrets.

Sincerely,

A former high school athlete