Sometimes I just wish I was just back in high school

Throughout high school I was involved in many sports. I was proud to say I was a member of the Mahopac Girls Lacrosse program and the Mahopac Girls Soccer program. I was not only a player and teammate, but also a mentor to the younger athletes who wanted to one day play on the Varsity team. I was starter on both teams by sophomore year in high school, and I contributed to both teams playoff runs. 

What I loved about being a multi-sport athlete was that I never once got bored of the sport I was in season for. I loved both sports so much that I was glad my coaches understood enough that they never made me choose one.

But eventually I really did have to choose. Senior year is when I had to make the decision to which sport I wanted to pursue in college. I didn't know how to choose, but I ultimately made the decision to stick with soccer. I don't regret the decision. I love my school, my team and my friends. I just wish I had chosen lacrosse too. I'm mad that my laziness clouded my judgment of me having the ability to play both. Was it laziness or realism that made me give up that thought?

I was curious to see if my teammates from high school and college felt the same as me. Many of them played multiple sports but for some reason they always had that one that they were more serious about. That was never me. Every sport I played was serious to me while playing it. I had too much fun and put too much into the program not to take it seriously.

I was talking to my friend Caitlin Hynes on the phone. Caitlin was involved with so many teams, she was a great athlete. I played lacrosse and soccer with her in high school. Along with soccer and lacrosse, she also played basketball and Gaelic football. She, like me, had to make a decision on what sport she wanted to pursue in college. She finally made her decision to stick with lacrosse and accepted a scholarship offer to play at Manhattan College where she is an Engineering Major.

"I don't regret the decision at all," Caitlin said, "I love my school and everything about lacrosse. I just wish I was able to play basketball too, I'm just so busy with lacrosse playing basketball isn't really realistic for me."

It’s sad for an athlete to play a sport all of their lives and then come to a school and no longer be able to play that sport anymore. I just look back and I miss the memories I had playing lacrosse competitively. I don’t even have the same opportunities like Caitlin has, because my school does not offer even intermural girls lacrosse unfortunately.

The things I used to love about being multi-sport athlete unfortunately is a thing of the past, and I sit here writing this I wonder if I should have been more proactive about starting a team on my own. But then again, let’s get real; I’m doing my best keeping up with all the things that being a collegiate soccer player brings.