I’ve missed playing lacrosse and the training regime my teammates and I often complain about. Waking up at 5:15 am every Monday for a 6 am lift is not something many of my friends can say they have to do. The anxiety of an early morning wake-up keeps you up most of the night, so I usually forget about having a productive Monday and Friday. Sleep deprivation controls everything about your life, but going to breakfast when the campus is silent is something I miss. Many student-athletes have found a way to manage their time between running to class, practicing, eating, and maybe having a social life. Sleep is a plastic ball, and I always let it drop. I’ve gone weeks with an average of six hours of sleep which is terrible for recovery and performance, but especially for school.
Dad and I watching basketball (probably!)
In Dublin, I’ve forced myself to go to bed earlier than I normally would, even if my friends are still congregating in our common area. This has been a challenge for me, but I’m hoping that if I start good habits, they will become routine back at school.
Sports are more than the time that you dedicate to playing. I’ve made my very best friends through sports and have learned valuable lessons. When I was born my dad stuck a pink basketball in my hand. It must have been love at first sign because I could not stop playing. My family had a seven-foot plastic basketball hoop in our family room and it became a battleground. It did not matter that my brother was two or that I was seven, there were no rules until someone got hurt.
My least favorite in our house was “no balls inside”, but my dad would sneak us down to the basement after Sunday dinner and we would practice our dribbling on the concrete. To me, my dad was a professional player. At the YMCA he would shoot around while we would run after his swished threes. Then after he got his ten shots at the famous five spots it would be our turn to play 2v2: my younger sister and I versus my dad and brother. We spent hours in the Wilton YMCA when we were younger—those moments taught us discipline, respect, teamwork, and most importantly, conflict resolution.
Number three forever!
I played basketball all through school, but I am the worst out of my siblings by far. My sister broke the record for most three points for a girl’s game in our field house and my brother averaged twenty points a game on the freshman team. While I moved on to play lacrosse in college, basketball will always be my favorite sport.
Fifth grade at the state championship watching our varsity girls! (I’m right in the middle)
Senior year playing in the same championship game!
I’m so grateful that I can play a sport in college. I am terrified of what my life will be like after school without a schedule handed to me and built-in friends. Despite these fears, I am so lucky that I have played for so long, have made lifelong friends, and learned so much. At UCD I was able to pick up a lacrosse stick (which looks very similar to the first stick I used) and have been able to hit the wall a few times. It is very nice to feel a sense of normalcy thousands of miles away from home. Live love lax!
John and I getting reps in!