As many of you know, for my senior year I decided to try something I had never done before; go out for football. Throughout high school, I never thought I would participate in football. I was open to the idea of playing football because my friends were always completely absorbed in every aspect of it, and I never fully understood why. I was drawn to try it to get an answer.

To most spectators, I was simply a kicker who didn’t get to play much, but I was held to the same standards as every other player on the team. I was expected to be at every practice and give 100% in everything I did. Coach Schulte expected every player, from the kicker to the quarterback, to be a part of every aspect of practice. This included conditioning and practicing offensive positions. I did not expect to gain the life lessons football taught me.

The first thing football taught me is that every one of my teammates, whether they realized or not, became a brother to me. We spent so many hours together and got to know each other on a deeper level. Because of these two factors, friendships flourished more than I could have ever imagined.

The next thing I learned was that nothing worth having comes easily. The sacrifices that every guy on the team went through are greater than anything imaginable. The energy, time, and emotions spent on football taught me if you push yourself beyond your limits, you can achieve anything.

I also learned how my life impacts others’ lives in ways I didn’t even realize. After our last game against Pella, I had a brief talk with senior Bryce Schulte. In short, he spoke of how the year wouldn’t have been the same without me. I did not realize this until that exact moment. Even though I stood on the sidelines for the majority of the year, I had an impact on every player on the team.

Finally, I learned my favorite lesson from Coach Nick Garland (X09). I learned that if you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not improving. We must push ourselves further and harder than we’ve ever been pushed to improve as a person. We need to exert all of our effort into everything we do to become the person we want to be, whether that be mentally, physically, or emotionally.

I was always perplexed as to why the seniors were so emotional about the end of football season, but I now realize that it’s because football goes way beyond the field.