Authors Note:

Dear reader,

At this point in my writing I continued with the topic idea from my previous draft and when I added more writing, I tried to focus on specifying the difference between the styles of writing. I am looking for a way to find some kind of flow to have better organization in my writing because right now it is still just me trying to get my ideas down on the page.

Everyone says to take the time to appreciate the moment that you’re living in because before you know it, those moments will be gone and they’ll only be memories. As I have gone throughout my senior year, I have taken this to heart more and more every day. Walking down the hallways at Lincoln Lutheran, I realize how much this place has formed me into the person I am today. Since I am a TA for the sixth graders, I get the chance to see the amount of energy we all once had. They all go throughout their day, laughing about the big PE football game coming up, competing against each other to see who has the most reading minutes, not worrying about anything else that goes on. Those were the days that we all wish we could go back to, no stress about college or what happens next.

With all the sports teams having so much success this season, it opened my eyes to how much we’ve grown. From freshman year to admiring those in the leadership position, to being in that leadership position today, a lot has changed. As seniors, myself and a select few others are the ones called upon to make final decision and to act as leaders without having to be asked. Being on teams has helped me develop relationships that I might not otherwise have just going to school here. As a teammate, there are a whole lot more trials and blessings that you get to experience as a team.

My own sports experience has not only made a difference, but so has watching those around me has too. Watching my fellow seniors on the football team gives me chills. The handshakes that they have with other players or even coaches after a good play is just a huge demonstration of what the Lincoln Lutheran community is like. Watching their team develop over the past four years from the vantage point in the student section is something that cannot even be described in a way to get the full meaning out. Getting the chance to sing the doxology at the end with the rest of those attending the game, allows me to be a part of the tradition that has been going on ever since the program started.

As a kid, I would come to all sorts of Lincoln Lutheran sporting events, most of the time basketball though. My dad, a huge basketball player and being the school’s executive director, we were inclined to come watch. Seeing them play back then made me excited to come to Lincoln Lutheran. I wanted to be a part of what they were doing.

One other big aspect that I remember about Lincoln Lutheran from my childhood was the play. There were always so many good actors and the songs they sang made the musicals fun. I would sing right along with them and I would be excited to be able to witness that when I would come to school. Now the musical department isn’t as big as it used to be. People are more involved in athletics than they are in the arts. Even choir attendance has gone down. In the early 2000s, the choir was able to do a whole lot more with music because of the amount of people who were involved. The songs they sang really moved me, and others.

Being in the Lincoln Lutheran community now makes me realize how much I really have taken it for granted, I know that in just a few short months my time here will be over and I’ll need to move out into the real world without the shelter of these walls.

Walking across the gym on senior night was an eye opening experience for me. Looking up in the crowd, seeing how much support our small gets is really cool. Four years really flies by and you don’t think that you should be where you are. You feel like you have more time, but in reality, this is it. What you’ve done up to this point is the impact you will leave on the school forever. Is it something people will remember?

In high school there will be times where you are so overwhelmed by homework and events that you feel like you never have time for anything else. Sitting at the dinner table, eating alone was one of the times where I got the chance to look back on my life.Growing up, we always ate dinner as a family and thats where we learned about each other’s days or what was going on in each other’s lives. It was a nice time to come together and relax. With the busyness of the high school life, we don’t get a lot of time to do that anymore. All three of us are in sports and going to Lincoln Lutheran requires us to be reasonable invested in our academics as well. Family time becomes limited, therefore being more precious. The moments I get to share with them are so much more special when I realize that time is, in a way “running out.”

In my time at Lincoln Lutheran, I have spend approximately _____ hours watching football games, basketball games, and any other sporting events. On the other hand, I have spent about _____ hours participating in a select few sporting events. Its where I’ve spent most of my life, so realizing that this time is coming to an end is a harsh reality to face.

In years past after games or even during practices, as a teammate I would hear inspiring words from the seniors, never thinking too much about it. Now my time has come. I’ve never fully been able to express my true emotions as good as my previous teammates have, speaking isn’t exactly my forte. There are so many things that I want to say, so many pieces of advice, but the words never seem quite right.

There is something different about game day. Not only in the fact that I tie my ankle braces tighter or knot my shoes an extra time. There seems to be a seriousness lingering in the air. Something that isn’t normally there. The pressure to succeed, yet the excitement to compete.

*Facts about stress here?*

Sports don’t seem like they can have that much of an influence on your life, they just keep you in shape right? No, they are so much more than just activities to get your heart rate flowing. Sports give you a chance to build friendships that will last a lifetime. You are spending all this extra time outside of school with teammates. These are the people that you have to run suicides with, as teammates all relying on each other in those times of struggle. We all push each other to be better because for us there is an end goal. That state championship. Many of us put in extra hours in the weight room, prepping for that taste of victory. We know that if we struggle as teammates, we can also win as a team.

Nothing comes for free, not the candy bar at the gas station, definitely not the education at this school, and for sure not that top ranking. Effort has to be put in in order to reach the expectations we set before ourselves. Specifically during volleyball season. So many of us put in extra hours and extra expenses, playing club and taking lessons to perfect all of our actions. Even though it may not seem like much at the time, the results are obvious. I personally have had multiple people tell me how much I have improved over the few years of my high school volleyball career. It is a really cool feeling, knowing that other people notice and even care about the work you are putting in towards the sport you love. *also talk about being shot down by other coaches for loving a certain sport more than another*