By: Jennifer Jacobs

They say that our time in high school is supposedly considered our “glory days.” This is  ironic because the typical high school student cannot wait to graduate and escape this town they have been trapped in for 18 years. This, admittedly, is understandable. However, many teens take these last few years together for granted. In a small town like New Albany, some teens have been friends since kindergarten, and athletes have been playing on teams together since they can remember. While looking back later in life, we will come to realize that the friends that we make and the teams we are on during these high school years has a large impact on the rest of our lives.

“This year my team really became my family.” said senior Morgan Hutchison. “My coach and I made a bond that I never thought we’d have. As a senior, saying goodbye to my underclassman who I grew up playing with broke my heart. I’m so lucky to call the NA girls soccer team my family for life.”

For senior athletes, looking back on their high school careers can be heartwarming. They remember their years as underclassmen and think about how far they have come as athletes and people. Now, as upperclassmen with time ticking away, they are even more determined to play their best and bond with their teammates.

“High school sports are the greatest thing in the world,” said senior Seth Hollabaugh. “If you go to the next level it won’t be like it was in high school. The bond that was made in my four years is like nothing else. Once my time here is done I don’t know what everything will be like but I know I’ll miss being on Buerk Field with my family. I’m glad I was a part of the best offense in the state last year and other successes and failures but being with the guys is what I’ll never forget.”

It says a lot about NAHS that  our sports teams consider each other close enough to be a family. No matter what happens during a season, the main experience of being on the team with their friends is just as satisfactory.

“It’s so hard to put in to words the way it feels to be a part of a team,” said senior CJ Reynolds. “It’s an experience that has really developed the person I am today, knowing that no matter what happens, your family is on the field with you and they are going to have your back. I’ve made best friends because of soccer and even though the season may end, the friendships won’t.”

Although friendships are a key memory when it comes to high school sports, what the team accomplishes is also a focal point. If the team does well, it only adds to the excitement, and if the team does poorly, it can strengthen the bond between the teammates.

“It’s about more than just the relationships you develop,” said Reynolds. “Some of the most proud moments I’ve ever had in my life were from sports; those achievements define you as a person. Thirty years from now, I’m still going to look back and be able to talk about how happy I was winning a sectional title last year. Sports are a way of expressing ourselves and pursuing something that we love. I couldn’t even begin to imagine my high school life without sports because I would be a completely different person without them.”

We may not realize it now, but our sports and what we do in our time at New Albany will stay with us our entire lives. We may look back on this when we’re older at our class reunions or even tell our grandchildren about the things we did in “our day.” Maybe our high school years really are our “glory days.” If this is true, we as a student body need to develop friendships, get involved, and make the best of them while we can.