Earlier this year, I almost quit lacrosse. I hated it. Something that was supposed to be a fun sport turned out to be me dreading practice and feeling like a never-ending battle between me and my mind. The stress of me getting injured and constantly messing up and being behind took over my life in such a short period of time. 

My head would pound, my heart would be heavy, I could not breathe. All I could do was cry because of the pressure of perfection and balance. I felt behind, never enough, and constantly alone. 

One day, I was running at practice and my hamstring began to hurt. I could not run without my leg feeling like it was going to give in. I pushed and pushed until I just could not run anymore. I began to cry and my coach called me over. I explained what was going on and I stretched it. Then, I went and sat on the bench alone. 

I cried more. Getting injured was just a constant reminder that I was not enough. I was not enough for my team, I was not enough for my parents, and most of all, I was not enough for myself. I went home that night and cried, begging to quit. 

I was going through this in silence. I felt like I was letting everyone down and I just did not want to do it. I could not do it anymore. I begged and begged to quit, but my parents would not let me. I had to finish what I started. 

I did not quit, not because of my parents, not because of my coaches, but because of the team. When I got injured, I felt like no one noticed or truly cared, but the next morning, I woke up to three different texts checking up on me and making sure I was okay. It was not my parents, my coaches, or my close friends. It was my teammates. 

One of the texts was Psalm 27:1, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be.” This verse stuck with me. Yes, I understood its meaning: When things get hard, trust in the Lord. It was also a reminder that I am not alone. I have a team. I was never meant to go into a sport without having my team right by my side.

Now, everyday before practice I feel happy and excited to get to go play lacrosse. Even if I mess up, get injured, or become stressed, my teammates are there to support me. 

I never knew how much a team could change my view on a sport, but good teammates can truly change the atmosphere and well-being of a player. I am forever grateful that I get to be surrounded by my teammates who lift me up when I am down and see the positive in everything. The different perspectives they offered kept me in the game.