WOODBURY — As a young athlete, you would put up your hair, fill up your water, double-check all your equipment, and jump in the car, ready to go to practice.
It wasn’t dread that was at the forefront of your mind. You weren’t counting the minutes; instead, you never wanted practice to end.
In short, you loved the sport that you played.
Some athletes, especially in high school, find themselves tired of their sport. The pressure to stay active being the only thing keeping them from quitting.
Jillian Bushka, a freshman at Nonnewaug High School, had been playing soccer for three years before she decided to quit after middle school.
“I just fell out of love with the sport,” said Bushka. “It was causing me unnecessary stress, and sports are supposed to be fun; I was not having fun.”
While Bushka’s view resonates with many athletes, plenty feel that the love for their sport is still prominent.
Ellie McDonald, a senior athlete at Nonnewaug who plays soccer and runs track, had started running in middle school and has “run ever since.”
McDonald shares that after she found track she began to develop a strong passion for running. Even though it can be hard at times, she doesn’t run away from the sport. Like McDonald, many NHS coaches have had similar experiences.
Deborah Flaherty, Nonnewaug’s library media specialist and boys cross country coach, shares that a similar love for athletics but understands the exhaustion that can come with competitive athletics.
“I was pretty burnt out by my senior year of high school,” Flaherty said. “In high school I ran three seasons, cross country, indoor track, and track. I had the opportunity to run in college, but I chose not to.”
Despite Flaherty’s hesitation her senior year, she always found herself circling back to running.
“Running is just something that once you do it, it becomes a lifelong thing,” said Flaherty. “I always came back to running.”
Not only are these contrasting feelings present for athletes in general, but more so for multi-sport athletes.
Robert Metcalfe, a junior at Nonnewaug and former three-sport athlete, played baseball and football in the past and is currently on the basketball team. Even though some students may not love their sport, family pressures may force some to stay committed.
“I began playing sports because sports was a thing in my family,” Metcalfe said. “It was a thing throughout my family, you always played a sport.”
Some athletes feel that after so many years of dedicating their lives to their sports, they can’t quit now.
While baseball and football weren’t for Metcalfe, basketball has proven to be a lifelong passion.
“I’m continuing basketball,” said Metcalfe. “I want to play in college and have a good career in it.”
Though some athlete’s fell out of love for their sport, the ones who continued to play, grew their love, dedication, and commitment for their sport, and at the end of the day, whether you loved it or not, sports make us a better people.
In the words of Flaherty, “I’ll run for as long as my body lets me.”
