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Should You Play College Sports?
Almost every athlete has pondered the question, should I play this sport in college? Whether it is middle school, high school, or a travel team, playing a sport in college is a popular topic of discussion. There are different levels to sports in college, such as NCAA Division 1, Division 2, Division 3, NAIA, and NJCAA D1-3. I started playing volleyball when I was 13 years old. I played for my middle school, high school, and a national travel team. There is a lot of sacrifice, discipline, and reward that comes from playing a sport at such a high level. I too, asked myself the question, should I play volleyball in college? Would the reward be worth the commitment?
Sacrifice
Playing a sport in college, no matter the level requires a tremendous amount of sacrifice. You will have to sacrifice your time. You will be a student-athlete so you will be in classes as well as going to weights, practice, bi-weekly meetings with coaches, team bonding events, and travelling almost every weekend to away matches. This gives very little time to study or do homework, let alone maintain a social life. You can get used to saying no when you're asked to go to a party or hang out with your friends. This will most likely make your grades suffer. Imagine if you had only school to focus on and nothing else, how much better your grades would be. You will also have to sacrifice your body. You have been playing this sport for a few years before you get to college so your body is already a little worn down. Once you get to college you will be practicing for 2-3 hours a day, sometimes twice a day. On top of that you will be lifting weights for an hour three times a week. Also, you will be playing in intense games. This will all inevitably take a toll on your body after years of playing in college at such a high level.
Reward
You will have to sacrifice a lot when you choose to play a sport in college but on the other hand, the rewards may outweigh the sacrifices. You get to play the sport you grew up playing at a collegiate level. You have a passion and a love for the game that is immeasurable. When you are on a team at this level you create relationships with your teammates and coaches that are incomparable to any other relationship. You struggle, thrive, and grind with these teammates. They are there with you for the ups and downs unconditionally. You learn a lot of life skills when you play a sport at such a high-level including discipline, leadership, time management, commitment, team work, and confidence. Your coaches will push you outside of your comfort zone and want nothing but the best for you. With this in mind, employers love to hire ex student athletes because you have all of the skills listed above once you graduate. An enormous benefit from playing collegiate sports is creating a better career path for yourself. The temporary rewards are fun to, such as special tutoring in your classes, getting recognized in the community, playing what you love, representing a school, and getting cool gear is the best part.
Next time you or someone you know begins to question, "Should I play this sport in college?", think about all of the sacrifices and rewards that you will go through. When I was a sophomore in high school I answered this question, yes. I played NCAA Division 1 volleyball and I can honestly say the rewards far outweighed the sacrifices.
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