At some point in an individual’s athletic career they will play their last game. For most, it comes in high school; for others, during college; and for a select few at the professional level. Whenever that day may come, the question will arise, “What will I do with my life after sports?”
For me, I asked myself that question in my senior year of high school. As a two-sport varsity athlete and a state champion, my life outside the classroom had been controlled by my athletics and events, but as role player and contributor on my teams I was never a superstar and soon realized that collegiate sports were probably not an option for me.
Going into college, I would have to fill that void with other activities. My time at St. Lawrence has afforded me wonderful opportunities and opened doors to explore new interests and step outside of my comfort zone. In many ways, not being on a team may be one of the best decisions I made as an incoming freshman. I do understand that for many here at St. Lawrence, being on a team is a very important part of their life and I would be wrong in saying that there aren’t days that go by when I don’t miss being on a team. There are certainly times when I look out onto practice fields or see teams in the weight room when I wish I could be on a team again, just like them.
My roommate, Chip Glover, is another who feels the same way. A varsity athlete during his high school days, he often says to me that he “enjoyed the structure of being on a team. You go through the difficult times together and those are the days that made you closer. The organization, camaraderie, and friendships you form with your teammates is hard to replace. It is a sacrifice one must make when choosing to leave sports behind.”
Today, my group of friends tries to replicate that feeling through our many informal softball games or pickup basketball games. While we may not practice or watch game film together, these games allow us to take a trip back to our high school days and have that team feeling again. We play hard, occasionally getting into a scuffle or two, but it is easy to call it quits when there isn’t a coach yelling at you to work harder or run faster. My other housemate and another former varsity athlete Joe McGrath really misses the “competitiveness of these informal games. Only one out of every 10 games we’ll get a really good one, but it’s hard to truly recreate that feeling when there aren’t fans in the stands. You definitely miss that element.”
Besides for these pickup games, there are many other things for us retired high school athletes to do. We’re close to beautiful skiing and hiking mountains, we have tremendous athletic facilities on campus and at our disposal and club sports designed to appeal to our competitive nature. Our school intramural leagues are incredibly popular and every year it seems as though more and more people show up to participate in these games. For those of you who wish to take it easier, there are more clubs on this campus than you can count. If you have a particular interest in something, chances are there is a club for it. Hey, we’re always looking for writers here at the Hill News!
If you’re ever looking for something to do with your life after sports, chances are you won’t have to look very long at St. Lawrence. If you want, swing by the field house or the intramural fields a little after 4:00. Chances are you’ll see us, air-balling failed 3-pointers or letting weak ground balls dribble between our legs. Grab a glove and tighten up those laces, we’re always looking for an extra player!