No Scholarships, no huge stadiums, no letters of intent, but you wouldn't trade it for the world.
It's Monday morning and your alarm goes off at 5 am, you have 15 minutes to roll out of bed, brush your teeth, and maybe eat a small snack for breakfast. Your first stop of the day is lifts, an hour time slot dedicated to strength and conditioning. Right after, you have class for at least three hours (And no, there's no time to shower). If you're lucky, you can sneak in a small break for lunch right after class. Next on your agenda is your weekly meeting with the coaching staff to discuss upcoming games, talk about your performance, and plan for the future. Right after, you have 2 hours of mandatory study hall in the library to complete. You have to log at least four a week. You've now made it to 5 pm and it's time to go to actual practice for 2-3 hours. After practice, you and your teammates eat dinner, then go back to your rooms to shower, study and do any other homework until midnight or later, depending on the day.
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Congratulations, you made it through Monday. That's one day down, and only five more to go this week.
You may be tired; your body aches with every movement, and all you want is to nap and rest throughout preseason. And on your weakest days, it may even seem like it's not worth it. But coming from a Division III athlete, I can surely and truthfully tell you that it is ALWAYS worth it. The struggle of preseason will never compare to the joy felt after clinching a spot in playoffs or winning a championship. When your time being an athlete is over, there is nothing you will miss more than those long 18 hour days.
What makes you, the Collegiate Division III student-athlete so special is that you choose to play your sport. You chose to make the effort to be recruited by a Division III program, you chose to commit to something bigger than yourself, and you do it because you love your sport more than anything.
You didn't get to sign a National letter of intent like your DI and DII counterparts, there was no photo whop moment and you didn't make the local news, but you got recruited by a program you liked and would get to continue to compete in your sport for the next four years. That was always the dream, so you, and all of your loved ones super grateful and proud.
The most common misconception faced by DIII athletes is the whole scholarship debacle. According to NCAA regulations, no athlete at the Division III level is allowed to be awarded scholarship based on athletic achievement only. The college or university can award scholarship in academic areas, but coaches and athletic programs have no say in that matter. So when you decide to play, you play for free-- and thats okay!
You work hard for what's given to you. You fundraise to go compete out of state for holiday breaks, for the nice new travel gear you received and you provide most of your own equipment. Division III schools are normally very small and can only afford to fund so much, but you appreciate what's given to you.
You don't get special treatment like some DI and DII programs do. You are held to the same GPA requirements as every other division, and in most cases than not, held to a higher academic standard to maintain eligibility and boost the team's cumulative GPA. Your assignments are due on the same days as the average student's, even when you are away for games on those due dates. There is no such thing as special treatment.
You are a leader on campus, which means you are held to some pretty high standards. There is no tolerance for alcohol and drugs. Team rules are team rules regardless of the situation. You will never get the "normal college experience" but believe me, what we get is way way better.
This is for all my DIII athletes out there: Don't ever let anyone look down on you because you didn't get the fancy scholarship or full-ride. The life you chose is full of hard work, selfless commitment, and most importantly, heart. In my opinion, that is more admirable than any sum of money. So keep working towards that starting spot, the clinched playoffs, the championships, and the memories, for these are the best days of your life.
For the love of the game, forever and always...
