My Senior year, I envisioned it as one of the best athletic years of my life, especially when it came to football. Countless practices, workouts, and the time spent after practice and training all building me up to this dominating season. It is a blessing to feel this pressure in order to perform at the highest level possible and give this program a positive turning point after many setbacks and challenges. We had the opportunity to win multiple league games and prove to ourselves and the school that we are a winning program. This season was supposed to be my season, putting out high-level tapes every week in hopes of being granted the opportunity to play football at the collegiate level. However, in the third quarter of the homecoming game, I broke my foot and needed surgery, and it changed everything. Losing something you worked so hard for, and had dreamed of since you were a 7th grader in the stands watching the games, couldn’t be more heartbreaking.
The injury affected more than just football. I had to miss a lot of school because of the surgery and recovery that came with it, which made it hard to keep up with my academics. It also affected me mentally because senior year hadn’t gone the way I had imagined. Watching my team play rivalry games and winnable games without me was frustrating and gut-wrenching. The hardest part of it all was understanding the fact that no matter how hard I worked to get back to where I was, I will never get back my Senior Season.
As time continued to move on, I began to realize that I can’t change the past and what happened, but I could control how I respond to this obstacle. Instead of dwelling on it and letting it hold me back, I moved forward and used it as motivation. This experience taught me to take advantage of every opportunity, because it can be taken from you no matter how much you prepare, and it also reminded me that setbacks are part of this sport and life. Even though losing my senior football season may seem like it had no upside, it made me a more disciplined and hungrier athlete. I can never get that season back, but I can use what I learned to work harder and make the most of the opportunities ahead of me, like wrestling, where I promise I will be the State Champion.
