By: Gabby Piontkowski, Content Creator

It has been seven months since my last collegiate soccer game, and it is still crazy to think that I am no longer a collegiate student-athlete. Being a collegiate student-athlete is something that not everybody gets to experience, but if you can, I 100% think you should. Although being a student-athlete in college was very stressful sometimes and brought many tears and sleepless nights, there were also many happy moments and times that I will never forget. I have learned so many lessons through being a student-athlete that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. 

I believe that being a collegiate student-athlete not only develops you as a player but also as a person outside of sports. I have grown so much as a person throughout the four years of playing collegiate soccer and because of that, I wanted to share the three most important lessons I learned from being a collegiate student-athlete.

Change your mindset: View hardships and failure as something positive.

At the beginning of my freshman year, I randomly got blood clots that started in my legs and traveled to my lungs, resulting in me almost passing away from a stroke. Because of that, I was out of soccer for nine months which is the longest I have ever been out of soccer. I worked hard to come back and play my sophomore year, in which I was named “comeback player of the year.” However, during my junior year, I ended up having to get heart surgery which made me miss my junior season as well. 

When people hear my story, they always say “Wow, it must’ve been so hard to miss two out of your four soccer seasons and have to sit out all that time,” and yeah, they weren’t wrong…it was hard. However, if I were to keep a negative mindset and just give up, then I wouldn’t be where I am today. Every setback I faced just made me want to work harder to come back and prove that anything is possible. It was challenging to view these medical hardships I faced as something positive, but by changing my mindset it allowed me to work through them and come back stronger. I now realize that everything happens for a reason, even if it doesn’t seem like it should. These medical hardships that I faced happened to me for a reason, and I honestly think that if it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. 

This also applies to failure and mistakes as well. It is important to understand that making mistakes is okay, and that is the only way you will grow as a player and as a person. When you make a mistake in practice or a game, instead of getting mad at yourself, change your mindset and realize that this is an opportunity for you to learn from it and grow. 

Play a role.

Not everyone is going to get the chance to play or compete in whatever sport you participate in.  Everyone has different roles on the team. I definitely learned that when I couldn’t play two out of the four years at school. I think that it is super important to accept your role on the team whether that is as a starter, as a substitute, as a bench warmer, etc. When I was out due to my medical issues, instead of being quiet and not interacting with the team, I did little things to stay involved. I would help the coaches set up the field, I would keep score in practice, I would motivate my teammates, and I would just be that person that everyone could come talk to if they needed. Sometimes, a supporting role is just as important and necessary. Know your role, and be the best at it that you could ever be. Whether it's in the workplace or on the court, there is a need for everyone to contribute to success. Don't think any less of yourself if you aren't the star, and be proud of the role that you're filling, even if no one else ever recognizes you for it.

Communication is key. 

I personally think that this lesson is the most important. Whether you are at school, at work, at practice, or wherever you are…having good communication is crucial. You need to understand that people cannot read your mind so if you are confused or upset, it is important to communicate with your teammates and coaches so you can all be on the same page. 

We all know that being a student-athlete can be very stressful and can lead to mental health problems. I dealt with many mental health issues being a student-athlete, and I wish I knew earlier how much communicating with others can make you feel better. If you are stressed, anxious, upset, or whatever you are feeling then you should reach out to someone you trust and talk to them. Communicating your thoughts and feelings can really make you feel better because you are clearing your mind. Having a lot of thoughts inside of your mind can really affect how you train and perform, so if you can communicate with someone about those thoughts, then you will be able to perform freely with no doubts or anxious thoughts. 

These are just three lessons that I have taken away from my experience of being a collegiate student-athlete, but I could have listed many more. I know without a doubt that being an athlete has made me a much better person. It taught me so many things, served as a perfect outlet for my competitive nature, helped me release stress, and gave me a fun reason to stay healthy. I still work out daily and challenge myself on a more individual basis, but overall, I'm thankful for the lessons that I learned from being an athlete. It's an experience I wouldn't trade for the world.