4 years: that’s all the time you have in high school. For every student in every graduating class, those 4 years happen quickly, and then it’s over. This fact is even more real for athletes because a sports season is even shorter than a whole school year. Some athletes end those 4 years with regret that they didn’t take it as seriously as they should’ve or that they didn’t accomplish everything they wanted to. There are also the athletes who end their careers with satisfaction knowing that their name will be remembered within their school’s walls and that they accomplished everything their heart desired.
When you think of school spirit you could think of school colors or a mascot, but that spirit truly lives through one group of people. The cheerleaders. While they are known for their role in cheering on other teams for their sport, they are even better in their competitions. Being able to achieve second and third place in regional competitions was an incredible achievement. But in the mind of senior, Emma Hull, when asked what the most memorable thing that happened to her in her cheerleading career was the competitions “Definitely last year when we made it to states was the best,” said Hull. While that may have been the most memorable thing to happen to Emma in her career, many other things may have happened this year as well. “My senior year was very good and positive,” Hull stated about the overall experience of her senior year. While cheerleading isn’t just their personal competitions, they are the embodiment of school spirit and happiness at other sporting events such as football games. Because Emma said her favorite part of her senior year was “ when we won a football games.”
For some, golf is played as a hobby more than a sport. Like a dad going to play 18 holes with their coworkers on a Saturday, but for the players on the team, it’s truly a passion like how it is for senior, Liam Collins. When some people watch golf they assume “Yeah I could do that”, but I guarantee you could most likely not do that. This is what makes the most memorable moment for Liam. “The most memorable part of golfing was definitely when I made it to regionals and being able to have my team there watching me.” While it may have been a reward to accomplish such a thing in your senior year, that’s all a result of work that has been put in previous years. “Work hard. Your senior year comes up fast…like it feels like freshman year wasn’t that long ago”, states Collin.
Running cross country is harder than most people assume. The requirement of needing to be physically conditioned and mentally tough, and needing to do all this is in the elements where it could be a hundred degrees one day then it could be the coldest of the cold the next is just a part of the sport. All that means is that the sport isn’t for everyone. However, for someone like senior, Bonnie Quansah, it gives her some of her best memories. While in the moment, it may have been painful and may have felt like it wasn’t fun during some races they could have come out to be the best memories. Like Bonnie said, “ My most memorable race of the season was in Orange, Virginia and the hills there were insane and by the end of it I was so mad at the world but it was fun”. While she may be leaving Liberty, her memory won’t as well as the impact she made on lower classmen. When asked what Bonnie’s final words of wisdom for young rising cross country stars were, Quansah stated, “Do everything you want and if you have an idea just go for it. If there’s a sport you’ve never done before and you want to do it just do it”.
During the fall season, volleyball takes up most of your after-school time with about 3 games every week, and the days you’re not playing games you have practice, leaving very little time to do what you want. This makes some of the best players have to be more dedicated than most athletes. After a 19-game season, most are just thinking about how they can get better for the next season but for most seniors, those are the last games they will ever play. Those last games can be the most memorable but it can be more than just the games. Senior, Cassidee Acors, said, “What I’ll remember the most is all the laughs, even though things may not have always been the best, we always had fun”. While it may have been fun, she had goals for herself for things such as personal success and stats which she accomplished. During her success, a singular game gave her the best memory of playing during the season. “When we played Millbrook I blocked their best hitter and it was super loud,” explained Acors.
As an athlete, it may be hard to appreciate what you have in the current moment. Being able to think about things such as “I have next year, I don’t have to do it right now” happens all the time. However, when your senior year comes around you may regret all the times you weren’t present in the moment. If you’re an athlete, take every opportunity you have. Don’t wait until the final moments of your senior year to make something out of your high school career. Do everything you can to extend your career past high school if that’s your goal, or simply create wonderful memories with your teammates and friends.
