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Everything The Student Athlete Loses When They Move On From Sports

To The Coach Who Ruined My Favorite Sport, I Haven't Picked Up a Basketball Since

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Sports

Quitting A Sport

All good things must come to an end

Nicole Witmer

May 09, 2016

Lawrence University

299

jbmthinks.com

Growing up, I always excelled at sports. I am naturally athletic, so sports and I got along very well. My first love was soccer, but I soon realized the field grew the older you got, and I am not a fan of running. I dabbled with basketball, but when my fifth grade team lost every game, I decided not to play again. The last sport I played and the one I would stick with for the next 10 years was volleyball. I immediately clicked with it, and we were inseparable.

I started playing the sport when I was 10. Grade school volleyball was a very competitive sport in my area, and almost every 12 year old was playing club volleyball. I joined a club when I was 13, and I absolutely hated it. The particular club I joined favored the A team, and sadly, I was not on that team. This was the first time I really considered quitting the sport. Luckily, I found a new club that became my second family.

Once I entered high school, the game changed completely. My freshman coach hated me, I got a concussion sophomore year and was benched for half the season. I received some playing time junior year and reached my full potential senior year. My high school volleyball career was riddled with injuries, politics from parents and coaches, and a rollercoaster of emotions. It was stressful, painful, and aggravating at times, but I wouldn't change a thing.

I committed to playing volleyball in college my senior year. I am now at the end of my freshman year and will not be returning to the team. I had a negative experience with my coach, which ultimately lead to my departure. I waited until the end of the season to tell my coach I would not be returning. It was the most bittersweet moment I have ever experienced. I was leaving a sport that had been my life for the past 10 years, but I knew it was time. I had been back and forth for a year on whether or not to play, and my college volleyball experience took a toll on my happiness. I don't regret my decision to play my freshmen year; college volleyball is not something everyone gets to experience, though it was not what I expected.

Quitting a sport is like losing a friend. It has been with you a majority of your life, and it helps you shape who you are. Volleyball had one of the biggest impacts on my life. It gave me great friends and taught me to be disciplined, mentally and physically tough, and a team player. I am grateful for volleyball and I am grateful it has ended. Some people view sports as their entire life, but for me, it was always a means to an end. I will always love the sport, but all good things must come to an end.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

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Quitting A Sport

All good things must come to an end

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The struggles of having an RBF are all too real

1. People asking if you're mad at them.

2. Those people who hand out flyers don't always try to stop you.

3. Creepy guys telling you to smile.

4. "I thought you were a bitch when I first met you."

5. People telling you you'd be "so much prettier if you smiled."

6. Doing your makeup and looking great, which somehow intensifies the bitch face.

7. Regularly explaining "it's just my face."

We all go through certain stages when we have a crush, Tina just explains it better.

That moment that someone you never looked twice at suddenly makes you do a double take out of no where.

But you can't have a crush, that's outrageous. It's all in your head.

Because you don't have a crush, there's no reason to tell anyone about anything. Right?

But then they do something irresistible and you start to lose it.

Now accepting the fact you have a crush, you have to keep it under control.

Then there's the part where you tell your friends who will claim they called it.

They'll be excited and cheer you on. That's until they realize that your crush is all you'll be talking about.

Your obsession has become so bad, that your Facebook stalking is getting out of control.

But your friends will try and help move things along any way they can. That doesn't mean it will be any helpful though.

As time goes on, you start having fantasies about the two of you and it's starting to scare you a little.

You can't focus on anything because all your attention is on them and everything they do.

Anybody who comes near your crush is now an enemy, and you are willing to fight for your crush.

When you see them, you act like an idiot. Trying to hide your feelings may not be as discrete as you think.

Keeping your feelings inside will start to be harder and harder until you can't keep it inside anymore.

Who knows, maybe it will work out? Take a chance.

Everybody hurts sometimes.

May the odds be ever in your favor.

What about those of us who don't do it all in four years?

1. You feel like an elder.

2. You may feel lonely.

3. Senioritis is more real than ever.

4. You may feel a little down sometimes.

5. Fear of missing out won't be as real.

6. You are a college pro.

7. You'll have more free time.

8. You're happy you're still in school.

9. You feel like a guru.

10. You continue to grow.

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