College Sports Aren’t “All That”…They’re Better!

Photo Courtesy: Tia Patron/Tennessee Athletics

By Bonnie Schipper, Swimming World College Intern

Committing to play a college sport is one of the most incredible things that a student-athlete can experience. It comes with a huge mixture of feelings, ranging from excitement, to relief, to anxiety.

What many high school seniors don’t realize, however, is that college athletics are a different beast than the twi-hour-a-day, couple-of-days-a-week, three-months-a-year “rigor” of high school or club sports. In high school, “everyone” knew the faces of the stars of each team, and EVERYONE knew the ones who were part of the less-than-three percent of high school athletes who would go on to compete at the Division-I level.

I graduated from a high school with 2,000 students, with almost 500 in my class. I was lucky enough to be one of the five seniors who was “#D1Bound.” Everyone saw me in my bright blue Columbia shirt and assumed I was one of the biggest, strongest, fastest, most skilled athletes in my sport in the world. At first, I knew better than to let that go to my head. But, after getting flown to New York for my official, signing my letter of intent, and getting my name printed in the local paper alongside the label “college commit,” I started to think I was a big shot. After all – I had earned my all-conference honors and people all over the state knew who I was. College could only be better – free gear, televised competitions, and the D1 label? Nothing better, right?

Wrong.

My first week at Columbia, the school hosted a social event for all of the athletes. Immediately upon entering the gates, I felt out of place. For over a decade, I had always been the kid in the center-back of team photos. The tall, strong-looking one. The best. At college, I wasn’t even close. I’m 5’10”? The girl next to me was 6’2”. I can squat 185? The kid down the hall can bench more than that. I was an all-conference selection? My roommate placed third in the state of Ohio during her last high school swim event, and the basketball player in my orientation group was nominated for Gatorade Player of the Year!

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

I’ve now been at college for three months, and the friends that were the stars of their high school teams are now frustrated benchwarmers at college. Most of them say they hate being part of the team, and some even have already thrown in the towel and quit. They can’t handle the stress of being a part of a team with some of the biggest, fastest, and best athletes in the world.

College is hard. And, not gonna lie, sometimes I find myself wondering why I put myself in this position, where I have to wake up in the wee hours of the morning for practice and lift weights that feel like they’re a million pounds and come in last place every time my coach tells us to sprint.

That is, until I realize what comes with being on this team.

Yeah, we get some free gear and my parents can turn on the network and watch me compete from hundreds of miles away. But if that was all I gained from college sports, I don’t think I would’ve survived the first month.

Being a part of a college sports team means you gain a second family. In some cases, you might even gain two or three, if your teammates’ parents come to watch! You learn that you can never be complacent, and you become the biggest, fastest, and strongest you you’ve ever been. All conference honors aren’t what drives you to improve – it’s knowing that you’re doing everything you can to make your team the best it can possibly be. Every good thing comes with a bit of sacrifice, and one day, you’ll be that senior who is blowing everyone else’s’ times out of the water. Just keep working, lifting, and never give up…oh and of course,

Just keep swimming.

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Bill V.

8 years ago

I thank God every day that I got an education rather than playing sports in college.