Sports is one thing that I believe could start many friendships you never thought you could have. 

When you do sports you meet many people and after a while it's like you know everybody andeverybody knows you. This to me is one thing I loved about being an athlete. Most people don't realize this though until they are done playing sports and are reminiscing on everything from the good, the bad, and the ugly. Thats the thing about sports though, no matter how much you don't feel like practicing somedays you always get there and have a great group of friends who end up making you happy you didn't miss that practice. 

I could say this because I been through it. Starting freshman year I was new to my high school and didn't really know anybody. Luckily for me I played football and met many people over the summer because of our summer practice and conditioning. On the first day of school I seen all my teammates and felt happy I played on the team because I would have just been the new kid who didn't know anybody. By the time junior year came by I knew so many people just from playing football. When I started track I met even more people not only from my town but surrounding cities. It was like I knew everybody in my school and town and when my family asks how I know so many people and I dont really go out too often unless i always say i don't know.

It took me a little while to realize that sports brought me so many friendships and bonds I never seen coming. I realized after high school was over and I no longer had the dreadful practices that I actually miss playing and that most of my friendships came from sports. I kind of thought to myself "If I never played sports I wonder who I would have a friendship with and who I wouldn't". All in all I loved playing sports and I love who I met along the way because they impacted my life and got me to where I am today.

Tajierre Rudolph