Graduation reality check: most sports careers over
May 31st, 2008 by WesHigh school graduation no question can be one of the happiest days of a person’s life; I certainly consider it to be one of mine.
I cannot imagine what it feels like to win a league or state championship, but I felt like my classmates and I won something huge on that June Saturday many years ago. It was a day and night of pure joy and emotion, and you could not wipe the smiles off our faces.
The elation can carry over to the next day, the next week, the whole summer really as you attend one graduation party after another and share classic memories with people whom you may not see again for years but will remain lifelong friends.
But along with all that joy comes the reality that for most grads, the end of high school also means the end of competitive sports. Usually high school summers mean conditioning, playing in summer leagues, attending camps and clinics, mentally preparing for the school sports year ahead.
For those few fortunate enough to have a college sports career to look forward to, they can continue that routine after graduation, even needing to step it up a big notch to prepare for the next level.
But for the majority, graduation is a billboard-sized sign that your sports life really is changing and that a new chapter is beginning.
For me, that meant getting a new summer job and saving money for my first semester of college. It also meant hitting the beach and surfing three or four times a week, not worrying about the next basketball season.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like we stopped playing ball cold turkey. We still went to Wilson Park, and to the UH outdoor courts on Sundays.
But it was all purely for fun, with no real goals to set or formal workouts to go through.
The reality hit some faster than others.
“Ho, usually we’d be getting ready for football this time of year …” I remember one of my friends saying in late-July, as a graduation party sped past the midnight hour.
Yup, for most of us high school was the peak of our sports career, and with graduation athletics suddenly became a much smaller focal point of our lives.
There’s college intramurals, parks and rec basketball and softball, pickup games, and yes, taking up golf to look forward to.
But the days of offseason training/conditioning/drills, the excitement/devastation of seeing the roster posted after the final cut, the intense, formal practices, the pride in slipping on the jersey with your school’s name on it, the thrill of playing in front of all your family and friends, the obedience of listening to a coach and carrying out instructions, the rush of playing against a school rival …
All that becomes a thing of the past. At least it was good while it lasted.
Anyway, a heartfelt Congratulations to all 2008 Grads! To all senior athletes, mahalo for the memories!
(And don’t worry, there’s still a lot of great experiences to look forward to!)
May 31st, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Sayeth Wes:
“(And don’t worry, there’s still a lot of great experiences to look forward to!)”
Too right, Wes. Great fun though it may be, high school is not — nor should it be — the best time of one’s life. No sense peaking before one can do the fun stuff, after all….
June 2nd, 2008 at 8:01 am
The saddest cases are the “woulda / coulda / shoulda”–those who could, would, and should have continued athletic careers as part of a college experience, except that did not do enough academically to get into college.
June 2nd, 2008 at 12:09 pm
For those student-athletes that will continue on to a higher education with some type of sports scholarship, congrats to you for utilizing and maximizing your potential and good luck at the next level!!!
For the others out there that aren’t so fortunate, there are ‘other’ opportunities out there for you to succeed in. Its a challenge but keep chipping away at it and you accomplish your goal. I know I did.
June 2nd, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Hey Wes,
Great topic to bring up. For alot of graduates, their sports career does not have to end here. Unfortunately, most of the grads don’t have the guidance on what to do to keep on playing through college or even go to college.
Parents and school counselors have to play a major role in making sure the colleges get all of the information on the student athletes. Most parents whose child does not get noticed by college scouts think its over and don’t pursue it any further. But theres Div 2, Div 3 and NAIA. There are lots of scholarships out there especially for girls. Or the student athlete can try walking on (try out), make the team and later get a scholarship. There are alot of success stories out there on these student athletes who overcame the odds. I’m sure you know of them.
Granted though, getting your child into a college and to play college sports is a nightmare. Coaches don’t want to hear from parents, they want to hear from the student. How do you make a senior write to all these coaches and convince them he or she is capable to play at the college level? Again its a nightmare. Everybody procrastinates and sooner or later you miss the deadline.
Unfortunately, Hawaii’s Community college does not offer a sports program to feed into UH Manoa. The mainland colleges do. So again,
the student athlete who cannot get accepted because of their grades or GPA is screwed. Sometimes I wonder what high school counselors do?
June 2nd, 2008 at 2:02 pm
There’s other kids who have the athletic ability to play in college (usually Division II or III) but choose instead to concentrate on academics.
I didn’t have much potential myself but I loved basketball so much I even entertained thoughts of walking on to a small DIII school which had a JV program, but when I was accepted to UH I officially “retired” from competitive sports and resigned myself to the intramural/rec leagues/pickup ball path.
I know others who were much better athletes but decided the same.
It can be a tough adjustment, though, and after a couple years of being a gym rat I had some withdrawals, some brief final thoughts of playing somewhere. But that dream also faded into reality and I just enjoyed being a regular student from then on.
Mahalo for reading.
June 2nd, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Don’t forget club sports in college! Some schools have “club teams” that compete in organized leagues. They’re not official NCAA sanctioned teams, but some colleges subsidize the teams. There are smaller sports that people can actually walk-on during the freshman year and by junior and senior years they can be competitive. At my school, they had open try-outs for fencing and crew. All you need was athletic ability, they taught you the rest…. They also have clubs teams like rugby and ultimate frisbee. Don’t give up on sports…..
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:17 pm
Wes,
Good subject, with the baseball draft coming up 6/5-6/6 waiting to see who gets the chance to go to the top out of high school!
June 10th, 2008 at 9:16 am
Congrats to all the students athletes for taking care of business while in high school. That piece of paper will be one of the most valuable possessions who obtain in life. For those going on to play college athletics what a great opportunity you have available. Study hard and make use of that scholarship money granted by your college.
Those students not afforded the luxury of an athletic scholarship, if the desire and passion to continue sports is burning, pursue the walk-on route. Who knows, maybe next year there will be an available schollie.
Another thought for next years seniors, start contacting colleges now! Don’t wait till the start of your senior year. By then most scholarship money has been allocated by each school. You don’t have to be an all-star to get a D1 scholarship. If you have the necessary skills and projectible talent, colleges will come calling. Establish good references with your coaches (high school, club, rival coaches, etc.) and make the camps and showcases a priority. Remember, colleges want to see you perform against mainland competition. It’s hard work going through the recruiting process, but it’s well worth the effort. Especially when school are willing to pay $20K - $30K for your schooling.