20 Things You Miss About Playing High School Sports

After years of playing *insert sport here* you head off to college and leave the glory days behind you.  Despite hanging up your cleats/skates/pom poms/what have you, you still jump at the opportunity to share stories of that one game with anyone who will listen.  In hindsight, that mouth full of turf after a hard tackle, hit that left you on your back gasping for air, penalty the ref never called, or hour you spent puking after double sessions wasn’t so bad.  In fact, you might even miss the worst parts of your high school sports career, because you know with the bad comes the good.  The glory. When the blood, sweat and tears all paid off.  

Here’s a list of just a few things us ex-athletes miss most:

1.  Being in great shape

When you practice for 15 hours a week, pushed by your coaches and teammates, you’re bound to reach some new PRs.  The shape you were in during double sessions: you felt like a freakin’ Marine. 

2.  Having an excuse

“I can’t, I have practice” became one of your most popular catch phrases.  Most of the time, you didn’t even mind

3.  Pre-practice rituals

Going to the locker room, getting changed, joking around with your team, getting taped/stretched by the trainer, and even doing the b*tch work like filling the waters and grabbing pinnies and cones

4.  Pre-game rituals

You know you had a playlist for it.

5.  The Huddle

Taking a knee with Coach and your team for a pep talk and a prayer, and walking away with an “On 3. 1…2…3…”

6.  Bus Rides

And your bus buddy–that one teammate you always sat next to.

7.  Hating on the other sports teams

“That’s not even a real sport, what we do is way harder.”

8.  Winning

Do I really need to elaborate?

9.  Dressing up on game days

And having everyone recognize you as part of the team

10.  Practice shennanigans

Your team becomes your family, and you guys did some weird, horrible things to each other.  Tripping, table topping, pants-ing.  Ahh the good ol’ days.

11.  Pasta parties

Pigging out and laughing.  So much laughing.

12. Arguing with the referees

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!”

13.  Playing your rival team

And playing shamelessly dirty.

14.  Celebrations

After a goal/point/basket/touchdown/win.  Nothing felt better.

15.  Rocking your team apparel

Your last name and number were a big part of your identity, and probably still are.

16.  Chirping

On the field to their face or on the bench behind their back–you can’t help that you’re competitive.

17.  Seeing or better yet hearing your friends and family in the stands

Screaming at you to “shoot” and “pass”.  Thanks guys, what would I do without you?

18.  Battle scars

Turf burn, cuts and bruises; it was all worth it, and it made you look and feel a little more bad a**.

19.  Your coach

Because that’s who made it what it was.  No matter how many times you cursed them out or trashed them, at the end of the day they shaped you as a player and a person.

20.  Being part of a team 

Because they were so much more than that.  They were your family, and they will always hold a special place in your heart.

• high school
• sports
• team