Let's get something straight right away; being an athlete isn't easy. Though that may be a pretty obvious statement, it seems to be forgotten at times, to the frustration of many. There's a strong likelihood that if you are talking time to read this article, you are or were an athlete at some point in time, and you know exactly what I mean. The simple word doesn't do justice to what athletes actually are. We are more than "jocks" and our responsibilities go way beyond simply practicing and playing our sport. Being an athlete means much more.

To be an athlete, you must also be a teammate. Regardless of the sport, your team is a huge part of your life. They are people that you spend much of your time with, who share your pain and understand the love of the sport. Your team becomes your closest group of friends, and eventually you call each other family. Teammates motivate and support each other; they rely on each other during practice and games. Without your teammates and the bond that is shared, the team wouldn't even exist. When you are an athlete, it means that you are obligated to be part of the support system, and become part of the family.

Being an athlete means being dedicated. Athletes face early morning practices, late nights, lack of sleep, hard workouts, punishment runs, hours in the weight room, studying plays and much more. We are expected to give our all, all of the time, and even work on skills on our own time. The dedication each athlete has motivates them to endure even the harshest conditions, and strive through even the hardest work outs. It pushes them to wake up for their morning practice, and makes the late nights seem ordinary.

The most important meaning of the word "athlete" is the love of the game. As an athlete, we love every moment we spend on the field. We get to escape reality for hours by doing something that we love. Stepping onto the field doesn't feel like work, it feels like the beginning of a daily therapy session. The hard work, stress, blood, sweat and tears are always worth it, because there is nothing else we would rather be doing. Every moment that we struggled during practice is worth it, just to see the team succeed in a game. Even though our parents worry about us being over-worked, and friends thinking we are a little crazy for spending so much of our time working out and practicing, we know they will never understand. We know that until they experience it, they will never truly know what it means to be an athlete.