Freshman Sports Transition

Getting through freshman year of college as an athlete can be a huge transition that many many people don't understand. Parents, friends, and everyone except yourself really. At least it seems so. When I was a high school athlete, I thought only one thing: I am going to be soooo much better in college. 

 Wrong. I was so wrong. So many things change and freshman year is all about adjusting to the transition. It takes time. In high school I would see how some athletes I knew went off to college and just "Were not good anymore". I was confused. I thought, did they just give up? Freshman 15? Too much partying? I thought who could go to college and NOT get better with such a huge focus on D1 sports, free time, living alone, and a specialized athletic program.

 I feel like as a freshman athlete, we are all pressured by outsiders and peers like parents, past coaches, current coaches, former teammates and current teammates to do incredible. Some people can handle the adjustment well their freshman year, but in track I believe it is very very few! It is crazy. I wish I had it. But I don't know if I do. I am still adjusting. I don't have a team right now, and it's incredibly hard to stay focused and motivated at meets by yourself when you don't have loved ones to support you through out the day. You have to shine and prosper on your own, even if you had a bad race, you have to learn that the next race might be better than the first. It's all about "aggressive patience".

  Good things take time. Track and field can be incredibly frustrating, but it's not something that most people see. People see the performances, the meets, but they don't see the mental preparation, they don't see the hard practices, or the "wake up at 5:30 am" to go practice.  They see the performance, the easy part. The part last lasts well under a minute.

  Track is often misunderstood. It's incredibly complex. Performance requires near perfection and it's all upon the individual. No team, no luck. Pure execution. It requires more patience than any sport I have ever dealt with. More perseverance. It's crazy. We are all crazy for doing it, but that's what makes it special. 

The transition sure isn't easy, but at the end, it is worth it. I encourage all athletes to stick with your sport of choice for as long as possible. Make goals that scare you. As cliche as it sounds, that's the only way big things are ever accomplished. So many people lose hope and drop out soon. Don't be that person.  Compete as long as you can, and never give up. You can only face disappointment if you know you didn't try hard enough. I hope this opens eyes to other college athletes facing pressure through the transition. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but your not the only one going through a rough patch. Hey, who knows, if your reading this, you may or may not have wasted your time, because you may not be a college athlete in a rough patch! But perseverance is key. Believe and continue. Your time will come :)

-Tara