An Open Letter To My Freshman Basketball Player Self
From Germany to the University of Maine, from four wins to the Conference Championship Game, if I only knew then what I know now.
Dear freshman Anna,
Look
at you, leaving Germany to play basketball for the University of Maine
in America. Maine, a state you never even heard of before. Remember when
you googled it, just to even have the slightest idea where it was on
the map?
This
is going to sound crazy, but Maine will eventually turn into your second
home. I know you are skeptical right now, but trust me on this one.
Your
freshman year will be a rough one. It will be full of challenges, but I
want you to embrace them. Those challenges will only make you stronger.
There are going to be times when you want to give up. Don’t. There are
going to be times when you will ask yourself what the hell you are doing
so far away from home. You are going to be homesick. But it will be
okay. You will be okay.
You might want to sit down for the next piece of information I am about to give you.
You will win a total of four
games in your freshman year. Yes, that’s right. Four games. Oh, and you
will miss most of your freshman season because of a broken ankle. Don’t
feel sorry for yourself. Use this time and learn to appreciate
basketball. Become a student of the game. Be determined to come back
stronger than ever. It will require a lot of hard work, but you have it
in you. I know you do.
Also
— and I wish I had some better news for you — but right after you
recover from your injury, you are going to suffer a stress fracture in
your other foot, and you will miss most of the preseason of your
sophomore year. I know it is not the start you had imagined, but there’s
a reason for everything. Trust me when I tell you, it will only make
you stronger.
It
is such a shame that you will waste the rest of your sophomore year
complaining about everything instead of focusing on bettering yourself
and getting to work. I wish you would, but you are not going to use
those injuries to learn something about yourself. And I am disappointed
for the both of us. You are going to point fingers because you feel like
you don’t play enough, even though you are going to be out of shape
with no one to blame but yourself. After all, expecting to play play
when you can’t even make it up and down the court without being
completely out of breath? Not a good look.
But no worries, you will figure it out.
You
will realize that nobody can change you but you. You are going to learn
what hard work really means. And girl, let me tell you, you are going
to work your butt off. You will get in the best shape of your life. You
will lose weight. All so that your junior year will begin with an
entirely new mindset. I am so excited for you to get to this point; the
point when you realize that hard work can be fun. The point when you
realize that a positive attitude can move mountains.
So hang in there.
Junior
and senior years will be when the real fun begins. You will win the
regular season championship twice. And while you will lose in the
semi-finals as a junior — and yes, it will suck — you will still have
one more year to make it right.
By
the time senior year arrives, you will catch yourself more than once
thinking about how fast college has gone by. But I implore you to focus
on what’s still in front of you. Take it all in. Make the most of the
opportunities you have been given. Eventually, you will make it to the
America East Championship game against te University of Albany.
And your team will lose, by one point.
The
game is going to break your heart. You won’t know how to move past
that. You will cry your eyes out. Eventually, you will be okay; it is
going to take some time, but you will realize that in the end basketball
is just a game.
And
when you realize that, you will look back at your college playing
career with a smile on your face. You will come to understand that
committing to the University of Maine was one of the best decisions you
have ever made. You will meet so many incredible people and you will
make memories that are going to last a lifetime.
And,
most important, you will know just how fortunate you are to have such
amazing coaches and teammates. They will always have your back; they
will never stop believing in you. No matter what.
So
stop acting like a scared little freshman, because you are in for the
ride of your life. Enjoy it. Cherish it. Do not take it for granted.
And
when you take off your jersey for the very last time — the one with the
51 on the back and Maine written across your chest — it’s ok if you
shed some of those tears you will try to hold back. It’s ok to reflect
upon how far you have come, how much you have grown, as a basketball
player and as a person.
Love always,
An older and wiser you
