2008 Woodie Awards
A whole new world ... of collegiate athletics
Issue date: 8/22/08 Section: Sports
As many of the freshman have probably realized by the end of their first "official" week as a Murray State student, nothing is the same in college.
Some things I quickly found out as I ignorantly entered my freshman year (from an all-girls Catholic high school) were my classes weren't the same, my room wasn't the same, the parties I went to weren't the same and my friends weren't the same. But the thing that hit me the hardest, something I never thought would change for me, was sports. Sports weren't the same.
Entering the world of sports at the collegiate level is like hopping on the magic carpet and into the skies of Agraba with Aladdin; A Whole New World, to put it lightly.
I was a good athlete in high school. I had awards and honors my senior year; so of course that meant I would be successful in college sports from the start, right? Wrong. What I failed to take into account was, every teammate I would have for the next four years was flying just as high as I was their senior year of high school.
What once was a First Team All-State, All-Conference, all-everything selection in high school would quickly disappear upon entering college. Simply put, your team is most likely made up of 80 percent of those all-everything high school athletes, so what makes a particular freshman any different?
Unfortunately that concept is something I think a lot of incoming collegiate athletes have yet to grasp. I for one had a hard time understanding why I wasn't the center of attention on my team anymore. I mean, I was playing just as hard and had the same amount of talent as I did in high school, but what I eventually found out was, so did the rest of my team.
What I think takes a while for many new collegiate athletes to understand is the second you wake up that first morning of preseason, your sport becomes your life.
Yes, you have time off here and there (which is usually occupied by some sort of team activity), but everything you say, do and think from then on will directly or indirectly have an effect on your sport and your team; and if you have yet to see that, brace yourself.
Some things I quickly found out as I ignorantly entered my freshman year (from an all-girls Catholic high school) were my classes weren't the same, my room wasn't the same, the parties I went to weren't the same and my friends weren't the same. But the thing that hit me the hardest, something I never thought would change for me, was sports. Sports weren't the same.
Entering the world of sports at the collegiate level is like hopping on the magic carpet and into the skies of Agraba with Aladdin; A Whole New World, to put it lightly.
I was a good athlete in high school. I had awards and honors my senior year; so of course that meant I would be successful in college sports from the start, right? Wrong. What I failed to take into account was, every teammate I would have for the next four years was flying just as high as I was their senior year of high school.
What once was a First Team All-State, All-Conference, all-everything selection in high school would quickly disappear upon entering college. Simply put, your team is most likely made up of 80 percent of those all-everything high school athletes, so what makes a particular freshman any different?
Unfortunately that concept is something I think a lot of incoming collegiate athletes have yet to grasp. I for one had a hard time understanding why I wasn't the center of attention on my team anymore. I mean, I was playing just as hard and had the same amount of talent as I did in high school, but what I eventually found out was, so did the rest of my team.
What I think takes a while for many new collegiate athletes to understand is the second you wake up that first morning of preseason, your sport becomes your life.
Yes, you have time off here and there (which is usually occupied by some sort of team activity), but everything you say, do and think from then on will directly or indirectly have an effect on your sport and your team; and if you have yet to see that, brace yourself.
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Eric M
posted 8/28/08 @ 10:12 AM CST
A very interesting perspective. I'm glad there are people out there who understand the value of being a team player, no matter where you came from. You said it best: Everyone came from all-state, all-this, and all-that. (Continued…)
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