Name: Jamie Linehan
What she did: played college sports for a year before deciding they weren’t for her
Jamie’s story: I have pretty much mastered college life. I now know how to schedule my life so I can get the most out of my education and also have fun.
I also know how much dedication
and time I am willing to put into different activities.
My first year of college, most of the girls on my floor were athletes. These girls became my best friends, and I saw how much time and dedication they put into their sports. I decided that I, too, wanted to join a team.
So my sophomore year, I tried out for the tennis team. I made it and was on the team only a year before I concluded that being on a college sports team was not my cup of tea.
I love to play sports, but college sports are a whole other level. To be on a college sports team, you have to live for the game. You also spend so much time practicing, traveling and playing games that you have to like your teammates. My team consisted of eight girls and two coaches. I really liked the girls, but we were all very different. Some of my teammates would butt heads.
I am not advising against joining a college sport; all my girlfriends play and love them. However, they, too, have times when they question why they play. Sometimes, they feel like they are missing out on other opportunities. But in the end, their feelings of accomplish-ment and success override their doubts.
I loved and still love tennis, but not enough to give up time with my friends, doing schoolwork or playing other sports. In high school, I played three sports a year for four years, so I’m not ready to put all my time and effort into one sport.
I have discovered that playing intramural sports is the solution to my happiness. Intramural sports allow me to be competitive, yet allow me time for myself, too. They do not take the dedication that varsity sports do, but you still feel the rush of adrenaline when you win your games.
Jamie Linehan is a senior at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, N.Y.
