My high school athletic career has been nothing to write home about. I was on the varsity hockey team for three years and won a total of 10 games and never made the playoffs. I’ve been on the varsity boys lacrosse team for all four years of high school and won three games total.
But even though I haven’t seen much team success, I have been able to take away many positives from high school sports.
I’ve played hockey since I was 4 and couldn’t wait to put on the Baldwin sweater. It is unfortunate that I never had real team success while a part of the team, but that made my bonds with my teammates even stronger. We always supported each other through the ups and downs of every season and never gave up in any game despite the score. It taught me there will be ups and downs in life, but the people around you will always be there to support you.
Playing on the lacrosse team has shown me the importance of persistence.
My freshman year I rarely played because we had a very solid team and it was only my second year playing lacrosse. We only won a single game that year, but I was still looking forward to the next season because I would be a starter.
But our record over my sophomore and junior years was 0-34. I had serious thoughts about quitting, but then I realized I’d be quitting on my friends, who also were going through the same thing as me.
My goal for my senior year was to win some games and leave the program in a good position to continue getting better. We won two games this past season and have many kids coming up through the program. It was hard at times, but sticking it was a great decision because of the friendships that have come from lacrosse.
My high school athletic career didn’t go as planned, but I have been able to take away many valuable lessons that I will use in my future.
