As seniors celebrate their last few weeks as high school students, many will be saying goodbye not only to their friends, teachers and South, but to the many memories they have made through the sport they played here at South.
Most believe that playing a sport is part of the high school experience, the rush of winning games, playing with friends, and just the overall takeaways the sport provides. At some point, it all ends, now that seniors are graduating and moving to a new stage in their lives, unless they choose to focus on their sport, they will be doing other things, like college. Isabelle Romolino ’25 is one of those graduates who is parting ways with a sport, in her case, softball.
“I think it’ll be great not playing in college because my major is pre-nursing, and that’s going to be tough,” Romolino said. “I’ll miss my old teams, but it’s just memories I can hold now.”
As most students understand, the transition going into college can be challenging, especially if you are playing a sport and have a lot of academic classes. This is why most college students decide to join a club if their college offers it. Oliva Husek ’25, who has swam for South the past two years explains why she isn’t swimming in college.
“I am not swimming in college because I want to prioritize finding a major and then finding what works best for me as I move forward,” Husek said. “Maybe at some point I’ll join a club team, but for now, I am just going to focus on academics.”
Although many memories are embedded in the high school sporting experience, for some seniors it is clear that they will enjoy taking the time away from the competitive aspect of playing sports in high school. Tenley Stiyer ’25, who has been on the girl’s varsity golf team for the past four years, is excited to take a break from the rigorous seasons.
“I am really looking forward to college,” Stiyer said. “I’ll miss playing golf as much as I did, but I’ll enjoy it being more of a casual sport instead of so intense.”
As the school year is coming to an end, many seniors will be experiencing their last home game, race or match. As they go off to college to start a new chapter of their life the memories and friends they made playing a high school sport will always be with them.
“I think not swimming in college will be a little weird because I have become so accustomed to it,” Husek said. “I will definitely miss all of my friends and the memories I have made but I am excited for a new phase in my life.”
