I’m writing this for all high school sports stars that are no longer categorized as “athletes.” Congratulations for getting this far.

You go to the University of Illinois, a Division I school, and you may not think that you are able to continue competing or training as you once did.

Your two-a-day practices are now a thing of the past, all of the hard work you did do achieve your goals are now just history. I could sugarcoat the situation, but instead, I’m just going to tell you that it’s difficult to adjust to life without your sport, at least not in the same context that it once was. As someone who used to spend 22 hours per week in a pool, I feel like some of you are currently going through what I felt when I came to Illinois.

Last year, a friend told me that his biggest regret in his life was not pursuing his sport (swimming) at the collegiate level, and honestly, I think I felt the same way. I knew that if I worked a little harder and summoned the courage to actually swim at a collegiate level (D-I, D-II or D-III) I could have made it.

But I chose to come to Illinois instead and gave up my athletics to go to school here. It was my own decision, but every once in awhile, a little bit of regret always manages to slip into my head. Maybe you can relate to my situation in someway or another. Because now, I’m going to tell you why club sports might be a good thing for you.

First, you will (and I really do mean this) have competition. I don’t care if you were a high school record-setter, or someone who sat on the bench. I guarantee that club sports will give you competition. I went to a championship meet with the Illini Swim Club, and ended up watching a swimmer who had been one of the NCAA’s best swimmers during his undergraduate years. So no matter how good you are at your sport, there will always be someone there to push you to the next level.

Even if you aren’t seeking competition at the highest level, the levels of talent in college club are so diverse that you can feel comfortable competing with people who are in a similar place in terms of ability. 

Second, club and intramural sports give you the opportunity to try a sport that you weren’t able to play in the past. This can be your chance — a new opportunity — to try the sport you always wanted to play, but for which you had no time. Try competing in something new; we are often so used to only doing what we’re good at, so trying something different might be best thing you’ll ever do. It might help you discover something that you love but had never thought to try, or that you never had the opportunity to try.

Third, sports are no longer the time commitment they used to be in high school. Practices don’t take up as much time, and it’s understood that you are at this University as a student, not a club athlete. There will no longer be a coach that checks for your attendance, in fact, there probably won’t even be a coach at all.

Imagine doing your sport on your own schedule and having teammates that understand when you miss practice because you have test the next day. Honestly, as a member of Illini Swim Club, I’ve had times where I didn’t show up at practice for a month or two. I don’t know how your future club will react, but from my experiences, a club sport was the first time athletics didn’t get in the way of school.

Last, joining a club is a great way to meet new people. It’s hard to walk around and find people who share common interests, so participating in club sports is a great way to add another group of friends to your Facebook friends list.

The University will offer a way and a place for you to keep up with your sport, and even try things anew. After all, you’ve been doing your sport this long, why would you stop now?

Brenton is a junior in Applied Health Sciences. He can be reached at [email protected].