COLLEGE SPORTS

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Why is it every time I watch the BCS championship football game, I cry? Why is it that even the pre game show makes me fight back tears? Well, it’s because college athletics IS THE GREATEST THING ON EARTH! There is no greater high for a college kid than getting to compete for your school. The be a part of a family that’s roots run generations deep. To be on a team where everyone has the same goal: to win, hopefully with integrity, grace and grit. We get to watch these kids every Saturday during their game. But I know from personal experience what happens when the cameras aren’t there. I swam for the University of Nevada. My teammates and I woke up three mornings a week at 4:30 to be in the pool by 5. We swam every afternoon before heading to night classes. We said “No thank you. We can’t” to weekend social events because our meets often took us on the road. Yes. There were huge sacrifices. But they were all so worth it because we were a part of a team. We were sisters who may not have shared a bloodline but we shared a dedication to that black line at the bottom of the pool. That line was our goal line on the football field. We crossed the T into the wall before our competition enough times to go 31-0 my sophomore year. And I have that championship ring forever. I no longer have the stamina (nor desire!) to swim 7,000 yards a day. But I do miss being a part of a team. And that’s why I cry when I see these 19 and 20 year olds talk about their team. Because there’s nothing that compares to being on a sports team. And that’s why we encourage our kids to compete in sports. To be on a team. To get that feeling that only sports provides. It’s the greatest high we can only hope our kids embrace.

 

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