I remember the exact moment that I realized my high school experience is soon going to be over and will never come back again. It was the last set of our first round C.I.F. volleyball game and we were getting killed. When the other team reached 17 points, I stood on the court and was almost moved to tears.
I thought back to my freshman volleyball team exploring different schools at away games together and even my first day of football practice, when I was a nervous boy who just graduated from eighth grade stretching among full grown men with beards. In seven short points, I would never play a high school sporting event again.
For me, school was not separated by semesters or grading periods, but by sports seasons.
Football season came first and it was always the longest and hardest, but also one of the most rewarding. This was the time of the year where I had to work hardest and manage my time best, as practices lasted late after school and there was limited time to do homework and study. That being said, it was also the time of year where I was always on top of my schoolwork and most organized.
I got things done quick and efficiently because I had to. Nothing I have ever done can compare to putting on a disgusting smelling helmet in the hottest part of the day and taking it off at night drenched in sweat.
Walking from the practice field to the locker room was one of the happiest feelings I have ever had. I was pushed to my limit physically and sometimes mentally, and I always felt successful after. I was always exhausted but the sense of accomplishment I felt while walking back and joking with my friends was huge.
Soccer season came next. No matter how good of a shape I thought I was in. I always struggled with the physical transition to soccer and leg cramps were always the norm that first week. Coming from football, everything has a rigid structure and organization.
Each player knows exactly what will happen at practice and very rarely does one step out of line or fool around. Soccer was different though. Players had a lot of freedom, and it was sometimes hard for me to adapt to this.
Volleyball was the last sport of the year, and always signaled the most relaxed time, both academically and the sport itself. This was a sport where I never dreaded going to practice in fear of it being too hard, as it was always a good time. I never had any problems with my teammates and the end of the year was always right around the corner during volleyball season. At the end of every season; however, I was happy to start a new sport and move on to keep things interesting.
While I still feel that way about going off to college and starting a new chapter in my life, I know that nothing I do will be quite the same as playing sports for Temple City. Without the lessons and skills that TC sports taught me, I would not be who I am today.
The boy that timidly arrived at the first summer football practice is not the same person who stepped off the bus at the last volleyball game. While I know that I will find new things to commit to and love in college, nothing can ever imitate the feeling high school sports gave me.
TCHS School Newspaper