Emma Caviness

Nashoba Regional High School

Girls in Sports: An Investment in the Future: How Will Your Experiences as a Female Athlete Serve You in Your Future?

Grit. It's a girl thing. We are a force to be reckoned with. Sometimes, the most important things in life are discovered when you are sweating, aching, pushed to your limit and forced to fight.

During these times of grit, I have discovered how deep I can dig, to use failure to find success.

This mentality becomes an instinct in athletes of both genders; each individual sport, however different, has a backbone of determination and grit.

Women, athlete or not, have always had to look adversity right in the eyes; right to vote, equality conflicts, equal pay, all of which require grit. In school, though less controversial we fight for field time, uniforms, and Friday nights. Though a race, or a game, or a match is not a pressing controversial issue, it's still a small way to practice and develop determination. It's developing that feisty part of you that won't let go without a fight. It's developing grit.

Sometimes, even in the sweat and ache of success, you discover new perspective and changes needing to be made. And sometimes in the sweat and ache of defeat, you learn what is truly valuable. This year, I am proud of my field hockey team's grit. We girls fought to the finish in our district semifinals, rising to meet the opposing team's goals not once but twice with just seconds remaining. We girls fought through two rounds of over time, but sometimes the outcome of a game does not reflect the value of the experience. We lost, but truthfully, I don't think that game would have been as valuable to me if we had won. Our team could regroup, take a few deep breaths, find Zen, then focus, ultimately tying up the score with less than two minutes left in the game, which is pretty much a miracle, I think. We girls all came together in that game in ways that are unique to each team, but the same in the sense of resolute passion for the game and one another. Oh, and of course in the sense grit.

My experience as a female athlete has taught me to find the positive point of view in all types of situations, which is valuable for the future because there will always be a hurdles to overcome in life. You don't hear about female sports star changing the world very often in the news, but I believe every athlete can change the future. The score is indefinite with a positive attitude and determination. And of course, with grit.