I am no longer the Penn State athlete I used to be.
I'm almost 35 now, and I can't run or jump like I used to. I'm not as strong, and my body has definitely turned a little more puffy in places.
I have a chronic arthritic condition in the form of gout, a horrible disease that attacks my joints, inflaming them to the point of prescription medicated pain relief.
Anytime I do decide to compete in a pick-up basketball, softball, or base level adult competition, my brain starts to fire, like I'm ready to go, but the body can no longer do the things that it used to do.
It hurts to feel this way for the first time. To really feel as though your days of being a Penn State athlete are over. That you may never be what you once were.
Right now, it's January 2nd, the day following a Penn State loss to Kentucky in football, and I feel a bit depressed. The team I used to be a part of had an unsatisfying year, as the goals that were set for the team, didn't get achieved.
If Keegan-Michael Key was here, he'd be saying that right now I'm feeding the negative wolf.
It's time to start feeding that positive wolf again.
While I am not the Penn State athlete I was, I am STILL a Penn State athlete.
Being a Penn State athlete after college may be more important than being one while in school. We become the examples that the next generation of student athletes will decide on whether or not to emulate.
I may never be the athlete I was, but because I was that athlete, it has helped me become the person I am today.
I'm able to pick myself up after getting knocked down. I'm able to set goals and take the necessary steps to achieve them. I understand that with the help and support of others, I am capable of more than I am on my own.
I am humble in knowing that while I may have some unique talents or skills, that doesn't make me a better person than someone else.
Life can be a difficult thing to navigate. Try though we might, bad luck and bad decisions are nearly inevitable to avoid. However, thanks to my opportunities as a student-athlete, I feel that I'm better equipped to attack my problems with a balanced approach and perspective.
While I can no longer dunk a basketball or run a 4.9 forty-yard dash, I am the guy that will willingly stay late to help with work, volunteer at a church or lend an ear to someone else's plight.
I am not the athlete I used to be, but I'm not the same person either.
I've grown by leaps and bounds over that 18 year old version of myself. I have pushed myself into leadership positions in the workforce, got back up after personal tragedies, and given love and support to my friends and family. To me this is what being a Penn State athlete means when you can no longer physically do the things you used to be able to do. To do more as a person with your time and spirit than with your body.
