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Blessed by opportunity, seniors say farewell to sports

Ana Martin

Opinions editor

Many Shorter seniors are finding themselves facing nostalgia and a mixture of emotions as they prepare to not only say goodbye to college, but also to the sports they have played for many years.

Senior secondary education major Kelsey Kirk describes the impending closure of her college volleyball career as “bittersweet,” saying “I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to play for so long, but I’m not quite ready for it to end….I’ve invested so much of my life in this sport, and it will be hard to remove the mindset and desire to play.”

Similarly, senior business major and football/track athlete Bradley Moon notes, “I will miss playing football because it has been a part of my life for 15 years, but I know that the Lord has big and better things for me to come.”

Senior biology major Chad Ikerd corroborates these sentiments in saying, “It’s been an experience that I will always remember. I have been blessed with talents many do not receive and it is a blessing that should not be taken for granted.”

The athletes describe the hardest part of leaving collegiate sports is the fact that athletics have taught them so much during their years at Shorter.

Moon says that being a college athlete taught him “that if you work hard, you will be successful. Yes, there will be trials and tribulations that occur, but if you stand on the Word of God, you will conquer them all.”

Kirk also realizes that “being involved in athletics has taught me so much about myself. I have become a better student in result. I am better at time management, am more committed and I understand the idea of working for the success of others.”

Emphasizing the relational and team-minded aspect of athletics, Ikerd comments that “the biggest take away from playing baseball is the relationships I have built.”

And while these learning experiences and deep, unique relationships that came as a result of being involved in campus athletics will make leaving difficult, many senior athletes also are adamant that their past experiences as university athletes will benefit them tangibly in the future.

Specifically, Kirk is “hoping that my knowledge of volleyball will help me become a coach when I start teaching. Being a high school teacher with the ability to coach a sport will hopefully make me marketable to schools.”

Similarly, Moon shares, “I think it will play a big role in my future because it shows that I am able to be disciplined in doing what is required of me. Playing sports is just like a job.”

With all this in mind, these senior athletes are both willing and able to share tidbits of wisdom with the underclassmen student athletes who will be in a similar situation before they know it.

Moon suggests that non-senior athletes “embrace the whole college experience and get involved—not just in athletics but with on-campus organizations,” and that they should “always work hard in everything you do.”

In a similar vein, Kirk’s advice to other athletes is to “cherish every moment. We are not guaranteed the opportunity to play. It is a blessing to be able to do what we love on a daily basis. Never take for granted the skills and talents that God has given you, and always play for His glory. Also, remember who you are playing for. God first, teammates and coaches second, and yourself third. If you play with that order in mind, you will be successful.”