A Letter to the Rising Athletes of Beaver Local

Dear Underclassman,
Please, don’t take these days for granted. I know, especially for you freshman, that your time spotting that red and white uniform seems like it will last forever, that you will never see it end, but I promise you it comes faster than you think. That rush of nerves, excitement, and anticipation as you slip the jersey over your head, the slight tremble in your fingers as you lace up your shoes, the burst of acceleration as you step out onto the field, all of these elements of the game will soon be but a memory. You are given four years to leave your legacy, four years to learn, grow and persevere as a Student-Athlete of Beaver Local High School. Take what you have experienced, improve it, and ensure that your time in the red and white is lived without regret, and without anything left behind once your four years dwindles to a close.

As you stand with your team, look around you. To your left, and to your right, you have built a family. That family will be with you throughout your year, pushing you to be better than you were the day before, helping you up when you fall, and rising you up when you succeed. As the season goes on, you will begin to know each other better than you may know yourself. That team will bring out the best in you, and will show you parts of yourself that you didn’t know existed. With this team, you will discover who you are becoming as an individual, you will achieve goals you never believed possible, and you will succeed in what you only could have perceived as a dream if done alone. The bond that you will create with your brothers to your left and your sisters to your right will expose you to an atmosphere of tremendous support, and as a team, you rely on one another to illustrate the maximum potential present within each of you. Play for them. Play for your team. Play for your family.

Soak in every minute of your time in the red and white, surrounded by your family. Encourage one another at practice, celebrate a victory after the game, laugh on the bus rides, scoop as much spaghetti onto your plate as you can at the team pasta parties. Cherish these moments, and participate in them as often as you can because one day, you won’t be there. You won’t be there to carry the balls at practice, you won’t be there for the pregame huddle, you won’t be there for the post-game dinner. Every second as a member of this family is an amazing gift being presented to you. Please, don’t throw it away. The freshman come, and the seniors go, and every year more and more bonds are created with the team that seems to have conquered it all. This is the team that molded you into the young adult you are becoming, this is the team that taught you about perseverance, commitment, and dedication, this is the team that survived the thick and thin together-united as one. How can you leave this behind? How do you say goodbye to a family?

The 6 a.m practices are tough, the sweat and the blood are grueling, and the time committed is demanding. However, it is all worth it to be able to step out onto that field, that court, that lane with the people who have endured it all with you. For those hours, nothing in the world matters except for your duty to your team, and your duty to yourself. Make every performance count, don’t leave anything behind. These are your four years. This is your legacy. We are Beaver Local Student-Athletes. Play for your team, play for all those who stood in your shoes before you and play for those who will rise to take your place after you.

Sincerely,
A Beaver Local Senior

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