I’ve known this day would come since 4th grade. You were always older, wiser, taller, smarter. I guess I never actually expected it to come like this.

As I prepare to watch the team I grew up with get their diplomas, and move out of their childhood homes, I hope to leave them with some last things to say, and an awful lot of thank you’s.

Thank you for showing me that finding a passion for something can overcome anything. We watched as our 2016 season fell victim to fighting, arguing, and a hate for the sport we had grown up around. The love you guys have for each other off the field, and for the intensity of the sport let us younger girls keep our heads up for a brighter day and a better season. The blood, sweat, and tears poured onto the K-Dome’s unruly field proves nothing in comparison to the heart we poured onto Woodmen Valley’s field every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  As the red, white, and blue of Patriots Lacrosse faded to Kadet blue and silver, and will continue to fade into the rainbow of schools you will attend in the fall, we know our blood will always run Jamboree championship gold.

Thank you for showing me that with all the good comes a lesson.  The teams we have beaten 14-12, and those we’ve beaten 22-2 are followed with a take away. Whether it is how to escape a double, or how to win with grace, I will continue to use the skills you’ve taught me in everyday life. The experiences that started in the days of endless glove games, and duck-tape hair bows, have followed us to proms, and league rivalries. 

Reese, thank you for having unwavering determination. You are always pushing us to get better, play better, and be better. You are always at the gym, making you by far the most fit person I know and I wish I had half of the drive you do. You will be a monster on the UCCS field, and after that when you enlist.

Audrey, thank you for being the Queen Bey we always needed. You are the ultimate Momma Bear, and I know that every single person knows they can come to you with everything. Not only are you a beast on the field,  but you are a beast on the dance floor. You dance like no one is watching, and I cannot wait to see where that takes you.

Anna, thank you for having a light heart on and off the field. The way you always have fun on the field, all while getting business done is something I will always aspire to do. You truly are the GirlBoss of Air Academy, and the halls will be a lot quieter without your laughter. Your love for life, for loud music, and for your friends is something that I treasure, and hope you do too.

Nat, thank you for showing me what passion and dedication looks like. There is a fire within you on the field, that I fear to play against and love to play with. Every time my faith in myself and our team wavers, you remind me of our strength and potential. Your speed is astounding, but it will never match your love for Kadet Lacrosse. I cannot wait to watch Mercer lacrosse, and follow as you take that program to amazing heights.

Ken, thank you for finding joy in everything . You find a time to laugh with everyone, no matter your relationship. You live life like everyday is an adventure, but with you it always is. Thank you for treating me like an equal, when you were always someone I looked up to. You are a force to be reckoned with when you put on your uniform, and to play without you will be something that is unrecognizable to me.  

Thank you, ladies, for showing me what an independent woman looks like. Through the countless breakups, bad tests, friendship spats, and hard classes, you ladies walk the halls with grace and poise, and the perfect amount of sass. Confidence radiates off of your smiles and bright eyes; don’t ever let that fade.

Patriots shaped us into a group of women that will run the world, as we have ran the field. Knee Highs to White Nikes, Stars and Stripes to Kadet Nation, things will shift in our lives, but a few will render the same; a love for hair-bows, and the family that Patriot’s lacrosse created.