To the sport that stole my heart,

Thank you.

Thank you for providing a safe place to let my mind run free and to express myself. You taught me that it was okay to be me.

Thank you for the 5 a.m. practices that taught me what it really means to be passionate about something and that introduced me to my favorite time of day.

Thank you for the teammates. The ones that I can stay up all night talking to. The ones that make me laugh so hard and long that my abs hurt. The ones that are there when I need a shoulder to cry on. The ones that inspire others.

Thank you for the coaches that are always willing to help with anything and everything. They believe in me when I don’t and continuously push me to be the best I can be.

Thank you for the memories. They will be treasured in my heart forever and always.

Thank you for all of the life lessons.

Thank you for building up my self-confidence.

Thank you for making me physically and mentally stronger.

Thank you for being something so hard to have to say goodbye to soon.

Much love,

A soon to be retired athlete