The athlete’s life is grueling, time-consuming, stressful and arduous. Why do they do it? Why do athletes repeatedly wake up at ungodly hours to put themselves through strenuous physical and mental activity? Why do athletes give up much of their social life to be on the road and compete at far-off schools? Why do athletes put themselves through the stress of time managing their days up to the minute? Maybe for professional athletes it’s the money and the drive to be the best in history. Maybe for Division I and Division II collegiate athletes it’s about the scholarship, the experience and the ability to make a name for themselves. But what is it for Division III athletes?
D3 athletes don’t get scholarships. They don’t receive special treatment in the classroom. They don’t have special excessive services offered to them. They don’t have separate priority housing. Why continue to play? When offered no major perks, why do D3 athletes continue to relinquish their personal lives to wear their school’s colors and compete for them on a national level?
The life of a D3 athlete is about perseverance and self-sacrifice. These athletes don’t have to play. They have no scholarship riding on their performance. These athletes play for the sake of the game. They put themselves through physical and mental duress because they love what they do. The game-day feeling is kryptonite. The athletes at Christopher Newport are some of the most hardworking, persevering, dedicated, kind, fun, thoughtful people I know on this campus. So when you come here and you get to watch these incredible athletes play, proudly wearing our school colors, know they are there because they want to be – because they are proud to represent an amazing University doing something they know and love.
