The End Of An Era – For The Athlete

The End Of An Era – For The Athlete

The end of an era – for the athlete. The last time an athlete takes the field or court is hard for parents AND for the athletes. It’s really unlike anything else in life. You put yourself out there; you work hard at something for years, for some, nearly every single day of your childhood and teenage years. You test yourself in the most grueling ways imaginable, pushing yourself, playing through injury, through your first breakup, when you have finals the next day, and you’re stressed, or playing when everyone else is away on a fun trip. You miss family dinners, birthday parties, and school dances. The kids and the parents sacrifice so much. But they gain so much too. Many of us make lifelong friends while playing sports and get physically and mentally tested and tested and tested again. We learn to work with others, we learn to lose and to win with grace, we understand what it means to be a teammate, and we learn firsthand what a good teammate looks like and what a bad teammate looks like. Sometimes we learn about patience, waiting for an injury to heal or a chance to break into the lineup. 

So at the end of the day, will you walk away with regret, or will you walk away smiling? 

Here’s a text that was shared with us from a parent to a young athlete who is coming up on her final game. This is how I would want to walk away.