Finding my “thing”
On average, approximately 6-7% of high school students will go on to continue their sport in college at any level. Only around 2% will be a Division I athlete. Less than 1% will go on to play professionally.
In my immediate family alone, there are 9 current or former collegiate athletes – 7 of which played at the D1 level and 3 of whom went on to play professionally. This doesn’t even include those who are currently training to compete at the next level, as well as the numerous extended family members who have continued their athletic career beyond high school.
I say all of this with so much pride. My family is full of the coolest, most hardworking people I have ever met, and growing up in such an athletic family has filled me with lots of love and passion for the sports world.
So, it’s no surprise that I’ve always been drawn to sports. By the time I finished middle school, I had tried softball, basketball, soccer, track, lacrosse, volleyball, and (the most prominent one), gymnastics.
Gymnastics was a huge part of my childhood. When I was 8, I was CONVINCED that I would be an Olympic all-around champion (and then somehow go on to win gold in figure skating too — which is crazy because I had put on ice skates approximately 4 times in my life).
However, as time went on, my dreams changed from being an Olympic gymnast to a college gymnast; then from a college gymnast to maybe, possibly making level 9; then from maybe, possibly, making level 9 to finally conquering my mental block on beam (I HATE YOU BACK WALKOVER BACK HANDSPRINGS).
As the story goes, the mental block was never conquered, and it was time to be realistic – I was done. I was tired. I didn’t want to go to practice anymore, and the dreams I had once held so close seemed so far away. It was time to become the best version of myself that I could be OUTSIDE of the gym. So, I hung up the leos and the grips and decided to try something new – and just in time for high school!
There weren’t a lot of sports left for me to try. It was too late to circle back to soccer or basketball (not that I really had an interest in them anyways…I was not what you would call a contact sport gal). I had a short stint in diving, which ended as quickly as it started because I couldn’t figure out how to land on my head. Finally, my sophomore year of high school, I decided on two new sports – cheerleading and track.
However, coming into a sport and a team years later than everyone else sets you back quite a bit – especially in cheerleading. Some of these girls had been cheering their whole lives, and I came in as a sophomore not knowing the first thing about anything except tumbling. While I definitely held my own and did well with the experience I had, it was pretty obvious I wouldn’t be going D1 for cheerleading.
Track, on the other hand, got my hopes up. I specialized in high jump, and it was clear I had a lot of potential. However, like I said before – starting a new sport your second year of high school can really have an effect on how quickly you progress. While there was potential to compete in track past high school, the COVID pandemic had other plans, leaving me with a whopping two seasons of high jump stats to show for myself. So, with that, the dream of being a collegiate student athlete was gone.
As I went through my teenage years, I slowly but surely realized a few things.
I don’t have a surplus of natural talent in athletics. It’s true, and it’s okay! This does not, by any means, mean I was bad at sports. It just took extra time for me to pick up on things, and I often fell to the middle of the pack on the various teams I was on. I was consistent, but I did not excel.
By the time I learned what true hard work meant and looked like as an athlete, it was, essentially, too late. I tried to play catch up and did all of the “right things” to progress. However, 3 years is not a ton of time to meet collegiate performance expectations. Although possible, when you combine it with a lack of natural talent, it wasn’t quite feasible for me, and this was a reality I had to face as the end of high school neared.
Sports may not be my “thing.” And if sports are not my “thing,” then what is?
I wrestled with #3 A LOT. By absolutely no fault of anyone except myself, I was convinced that I had failed – I bloomed too late and wasted all of my potential (oh, the teenage drama and angst). I had spent so much of my time and energy on gymnastics and other sports growing up that I had yet to find a true talent or hobby outside of athletics.
It was my junior year that I decided to take the publications class that my school offered. This class was one of the few that you could take throughout the entire school year as we were responsible for the school magazine, news website, and yearbook. I. Loved. It. While interviewing students and contacting sources was out of my comfort zone, I fell in love with telling stories and discussing topics I didn’t even know I had an opinion on.
At the end of the year, I decided to apply to be the yearbook editor as a senior. I knew there were a lot of great applicants and that the class had a ton of talented writers, but I was confident in my abilities. I nailed the application and interview process, and ended up securing the position alongside one of my friends.
However, what stuck with me was not getting to be the yearbook editor – it was the words my teacher said to me (shout-out to Mr. Peterson!). He told me that I have a gift in writing.
A gift! In…writing? You mean…something that isn’t a sport? I was shocked and flattered, albeit not quite sure what this meant. So, I thought about it.
I mean…writing does come easy to me. I’ve always been in the advanced English classes in school. Writing essays never really took me too much time. I’ve also felt so proud of the stories I‘ve covered this year. OMG! I totally forgot – I won that statewide poetry contest in middle school! I forgot how much I like to write poetry. Honestly, I never realized how much I like to write in general. Wow…maybe I am good at this! How did I miss all of the signs over the years?
I ran with it.
After spending the next year overseeing the creation of a yearbook for a 1500+ person high school, I went on to study English w/ an emphasis in Professional Writing in college. I explored all types of writing – journalism, science writing, essays, creative writing, blogs, news scripts, technical writing, poetry, grant writing, copywriting, writing for social media, PR, etc. etc. etc.
And now? I own a business built on my writing skills. Built on my ability to tell stories and find the right words when others can’t. Built on helping others find their voice like I found mine.
Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to be “Preacher Aubrey” for a minute. I don’t want anyone to get it twisted – your worth does not come from your talents. Let me say it again. YOUR WORTH DOES NOT COME FROM YOUR TALENTS. I know and serve a God who values you because you are His child. It is not WHAT you do, but WHO you are through Him that matters. More than my talents, more than my gifts, my “thing” is being God’s daughter – and that is the most life-giving thing I could ever know about myself.
That being said, if God chooses to reveal a gift or talent to you, I encourage you to use it to glorify Him. I spent so much time convinced that my “thing” was being an athlete that I missed out on a lot of moments where God was guiding me to something else. It took a teacher who recognized both my talent and passion for something different for me to embrace it. And I’m so happy I did.
I leave you with this verse from 1 Peter 4:10-11:
“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies — in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
How it started vs. how it’s going <3
