Senior Day

For most athletes, senior day is the last time you will be playing on your home field or court. But for me it was different because I knew that this wasn’t going to be the last time I was going to be playing on my home field of “Schueler Field”. I knew going into this season that it was going to be a Great Season!! On the day of the big senior game I had a lot going on with trying to keep my focus on the conference game to come the following week vs. Manchester College. When I first got into the locker room at the sports complex I was one of the first ones there just like any other game because I liked to get my ankles taped in the training room. Arriving early also allowed me to take my time getting my so called “game face on”. When I had walked into the locker room all of the juniors had taken the time to go out of their way and placed balloons, pictures and notes in each of the eight seniors. Yes, we had eight seniors this year. The mount was going to be losing a lot of seniority leadership after this season ended.
The pre-game talk for this game wasn’t the usual pump-up speech because our coach had so many seniors for the pass four years and didn’t want to see us go. There were a few watery eyes in that locker room that day, but they soon dried up when our coach told us to go get what is ours. We knew it was going to be an emotional game.
Half time came and the score was still 0-0 we knew we had to get over the emotional aspects of senior day because even though this was a so called “easy game” for us its a lot different game when you have the emotional feelings added. Manchester knew it was our senior game so they thought they had to give all 110% to win this game knowing we wouldn’t be on our so called “A” game. We didn’t go to the locker room at half like we usually did. Our parents where waiting for us on the track to walk out with us as our names where getting read. Now for me it was extremely hard only seeing my mom on the side line and wishing that my father was still alive and able to be there with me, walking on the other side as my mother. My father passed away when I was going into my senior year of high school when he was only 49 years old, passing away from a massive heart attic. My mother was upset about a few things but mostly about the amount of playing time I was getting but I told her to not to worry that all seniors where going to start at the start of the second half. Although we did win this game, the score was only 1-0. Our coach changed players from a season of offensive positions to now playing defensive and vice versa. Many players were confused and this game seemed more like a practice session than an important game. Everyone left the game confused, upset and disappointed. Our questions were many as to why the coach made such changes, left players without playing time that earned it, and confusing everyone. Our parents were equally confused and turned the senior game into one of questions more than of celebration.