Throughout my life, I have always been on a team.
I played sports all growing up, and continued to pursue an athletic scholarship at the university of Alabama at Birmingham for soccer. At this point, I don’t know what it’s like to not be on a team, and sometimes I take it for granted. Having a group of people that you know constantly have your back is a comforting feeling. Being together every single day throughout the school year forms bonds that I am sure will last a lifetime. We go through hard times together, but the ones I remember most are the good ones.
The memories that you’ll never forget, make all of the hard times seem completely worth it. It’s been tough being away from my team for these months, but in a way, it has made us closer. Knowing we will never take another day for granted together, and keeping in mind how fast these four years truly fly by. We reminisce on our time together and continue to talk about how excited we are to be together again soon (hopefully).
The zoom calls and the FaceTimes will suffice for now, but the eagerness to get back with my team is at all time high. I didn’t realize how much I leaned on them for support and encouragement until I went without them for such a long period of time. It’s sad that we have to be away from things to realize the impact and importance they have on our life. I’m grateful for these girls and my coaches more than ever knowing what a vital part of my life they are. I know this will only make us stronger once we get through it and out on the other side.
For now, I think the best approach is to control what you can control.
Our coaches always say, “Control the controllable,” and this is more prevalent than ever now. There is nothing we can do about the situation we are in, but to make the most of it. So being away from my team may be a bump in the road, but I just have to find ways to be positive and continue to grow.
One of our team values that we pride ourselves on is uncomfortability. We believe as a team that you truly grow in times of uncomfortability. If you are never uncomfortable, then you are not going to see improvement in yourself. This time we are in now is uncomfortable. We have never seen anything like this in our life, and we may never see it again. So what better time to grow as people, and as a team? When you start to look at the positives, you begin to feel much better about the situation.
