To my amazing teammates,
To the people who have seen me at my best, my worse and everything in between. To the people that are always there to support me no matter what the situation is. To the people who push me to be a better athlete and better person. Most importantly, to the people who have become my best friends.
Starting out I never imagined any of you to be more than just my team, but boy was I wrong. We have transformed from strangers, to teammates, to best friends, to family. For the way that you care about me, and give me advice. From my love life, to my grades, to me becoming a better player. Your there to pick me up after a tough day, help me when I am sick and above all just to check in and make sure that everything is okay. You are there when I need help going to the doctors, getting a ride to practice or just buying ice cream at midnight.
You have all believed in me and everything that I am trying to do, even when I didn’t believe in myself. You have listened to my problems and gave me tough love when I needed it. You always have my back, and knowing that I have my entire team on my side if something went wrong is the best feeling in the world. Between the long bus rides, the late nights in hotels, the many laughs, the nicknames, the wins, the losses, the tears, the crazy group chats, and the coaches we all hated, we have grown together and became way more than just a team.
I can always count on you guys to give me a laugh when one is needed. You can tell instantly when something isn’t right and know just how to prevent me from having a mental breakdown. You have offered to have bail money ready when that girl ticked me off or said you'll be sitting right next to me in jail when that boy broke my heart. You are always ready to jam out to 90's throw backs with me and bust out the crazy dance moves. You share all my inside jokes and know all my little quirks.
You all understand what I am going through, the ups and downs of being a student athlete, of juggling so many different things. The stress that it has, and the want to be successful. I know that you are all putting in 100% which makes me want to do the same; you make me better even though you don’t know it.
You fill my life with happiness and love that I never knew could come from being on a team. It’s true that we don’t always get along, we don’t have everything in common. We come from different backgrounds and may not always see eye to eye. But at the end of the day we are a team and have each other’s backs.
I am internally grateful for everything that you have ever done for me. Because without all of you, I don’t know where I would be, I don’t know how I could live so far away from home without the support of each and every one of you. You are all more than just a team to me you are a best friend and most of all the sisters that I never knew I wanted. Above all we are a family.
So, thank you for always making sure I’ve eaten and get to practice on time. Thank you for laughing with me until it hurts. Thank you for making me into a better athlete. Most importantly thank you for being my family away from home.
Much Love, Your Teammate.
