Dear Freshman Field Hockey Player:

Your excuses are your weaknesses.

Do not make any excuses for yourself.

Are you going to make excuses when you are losing 0-1 against a conference team and there are two minutes left in the game?

No, I do not think so.

You MUST earn your position on the field.

Not a single person is guaranteed to have a lasting spot on the team.

You MUST prove yourself- Every. Single. Day.

Ask your coaches questions.

Stay after practice to master that skill you’ve been working on.

Go that extra step when no one else is looking.

Do NOT take being on this team for granted.

Not everyone is blessed with this opportunity.

This may seem cliché; however, I promise that these four years WILL be the best and fastest years of your life.

There will come a time when you take your uniform and cleats off for one last time.

Before you know it, you will be playing in the final field hockey game of your career.

There is nothing compared to the nauseating feeling of when that final buzzer goes off and it signifies the end of your athletic career.

You have made it to this point for a reason.

Give it everything you have at every single practice and game.

Don’t be afraid to show everyone what you are made of.

Embrace every sprint, lift, and workout.

Make sure you will be able to look back on your four collegiate athletic years without having any regrets.

You owe it to yourself.

Play hard. Play smart. Have fun.