As my high school career comes close to finishing, I would like to look back at my past athletic seasons over the years that made Northern Valley Demarest memorable for me. As an athlete, I always looked forward to the end of the day to be with my team and work with them outside of an academic setting. The friends I gained and the mentors I met came from doing what I love and involving myself in multiple sports. 

Ever since I was a young girl I played soccer, beginning with my town team and branching out to different clubs. The girls I grew up playing with also played with me in high school, making saying goodbye emotional. As a freshman on a varsity team, I was anxious to meet new people. Even though I was overwhelmed socially, I was committed to showing my talent in tryouts. At the end of the three-day evaluation, the coach pulled me aside and told me that I made the team. Everyone welcomed me and we continued to have a competitive preseason. In the 2019 season, our team won a league championship title. It was an amazing start to a successful high school career. We bonded and had many traditions like wearing our uniforms on the first day of school, as well as every game day. 

My freshman year left me more excited for the next season, however, COVID hit, creating a late start to preseason, practices, and games. We had to take a lot of precautions when practicing and could not shake hands with our opponents. During that year, I made lifelong friends who were seniors, and it was difficult to think about not playing with them again. Although soccer was not in their lives anymore, I still visit them in college and continue to talk to them all the time. I hang out with them every day when they come home in the summer. 

In my junior year, I was close with everyone on the team. This was the last year our coach that I started with was with us, so we wanted to make the most out of the season. The leadership from the seniors pushed everyone to do their best and play the sport we all grew up playing in an enjoyable way. We shared a lot of memories and reflected on how to improve in important games. When the seniors left as well as our coach, we knew we would truly miss them. This motivated me and the rest of the seniors to make the most out of our last season playing in high school. 

In addition to soccer in the fall, I participated in winter track my freshman year as a hurdler and sprinter. When COVID canceled our spring season, I decided to branch out my sophomore year and try swimming in the winter. The experience of meeting new people from Northern Valley and getting to swim outside of the summer swim team was a great way to make new friends and train different muscles. I was used to always playing soccer on club teams, so implementing swimming into my routine helped lower the risk of injuries. 

In the spring, I love running track because it is a large team full of happiness and funny-looking tan lines. In my senior year, I joined the distance team instead of sprinting and love everything about it. I run with my friends after school and we get to bond with music, talking, and at pre-meet pasta dinners. I will always be grateful for such a strong end to my high school athletic career and can’t wait for what is to come in the future. 

In college, I will take all the lessons I learned as a student-athlete and remember the great times I had on the field, on the track, and in the pool. I will continue playing soccer at the collegiate level with high hopes and optimism because of the experiences and opportunities I have had in high school.