Aubrey’s Analysis

As I was going through my day, I was reminded that I’m coming up on my 10-year class reunion. In all honesty, it hit me like a brick wall. It doesn’t feel like that much time has passed, but it’s hard to notice those things when you enter the “real” world.

Although the reminder sent a shockwave through my body, I was nostalgic about the memories I made while in school.

I grew up in a small town in northeast Arkansas. The type of town where everybody knows everybody and your friends’ parents become your parents. The football field was surrounded by crops, as was most of the town, and your main system of transportation was a four-wheeler.

You knew every teacher by name, mostly because the one you had for science you also had for math or English, too.

As athletes, the majority of us played multiple sports. Football, basketball, baseball, softball, cheer. Nothing was off the table for us when it came to competition.

I later moved from that small-town 3A school to a larger 7A school states away. My previous graduating class of 94 exploded to 300-plus. I no longer knew everyone, nor did I remember every teacher’s name or see them out and about running daily errands.

The one thing that I found comfort in was sports. Now, I didn’t immediately jump into playing football because, in all honesty, I was intimidated. I had never had a field house or a practice field that was specifically suited for the sport.

I noticed my competitive spirit awaken, in a sense, while in PE and further on while playing flag football with my church youth group. I decided then to transition back into high school competition, and I’m glad I did.

That leap for me led to new friendships, new life lessons and new sports. I got to experience things in my life that I most likely never would’ve gotten to at my previous school.

I’m a little envious of the high school athletes that I now cover. I wonder if they truly know that those moments out on the field, the court or at the plate are going to be things they look back on with great appreciation.

The coaches who get on to them for making a mistake are their biggest supporters (outside of parents, of course).

Maybe that’s why I have a passion for being a sports reporter. I find myself relating to and remembering a time when I was in that position, and I never want their achievements and hard work to go unnoticed.