Lehigh University Athletics
From the Future: Dear First-Year Kiernan...
3/28/2017 11:00:00 AM | Student Athlete
Dear First-Year Kiernan,
You won four championships! You were a star on the court and led your team to new heights! You never faced adversity or missed out on an amazing opportunity! In short, your college career was PERFECT!...
…How boring of a story is that?! While I wish I could tell you that these next four years are going to be nothing but victories and smiles, that's just not life. There are more losses and tears in your future than you can imagine right now. With that said though, I CAN tell you that the next four years will also bring you more growth than you could ever imagine. Let's take a look at the most important things you will learn each year…
First Year: Diligence
Up until this point in your life, most things have come pretty darn easy. While no one would call you a slacker, they also wouldn't say that you've gotten where you are purely through working hard. You were blessed with a lot of physical gifts, and you've done your best to maximize them. The most important thing you'll learn your first year though, is that it takes A LOT more than physical gifts to succeed in college. For the first time, you will have to study for weeks before a test, not hours. You will come to realize that on the basketball court, there is absolutely no replacement for the time you spend refining your skills. Things won't be handed to you, and when you earn them through hard work, they will feel a whole lot better. You'll learn that you absolutely have it in you to work harder than you thought you'd ever have, and you'll be rewarded for that in the long run.
Sophomore Year: You Are Part of Something that is Bigger Than Yourself
While sophomore year will bring its own set of challenges, this is the year that you feel the pure joy of being part of something bigger than yourself. Spoiler Alert: Your team makes it to the Patriot League Championship game! By the time you make your championship run, playing time or points scored no longer matter. You feel true pride in being part of a group that is doing great things. Although you won't win it all (still not over it!), you will learn what it feels like to contribute to something awesome. Hold on to every moment in your semi-final game against Army - that will stay with you as one of the greatest sports and college memories you have!
Junior Year: Things Don't Always Go As Planned
This is going to be your year! You can feel it. You are an upperclassman now and it's your turn to shine. You've put in the dirty work and now you'll get the glory… But wait. Spoiler Alert Number 2: The summer before your junior year starts, you will experience the first true adversity in your life when you tear your ACL. In one second, your life will change forever. You have never even sprained an ankle or broken a bone, and now doctors are telling you that you won't be able to play for almost a year. How will you survive?? The answer, you will come to see, you've already learned. This will be the absolute hardest thing you've ever done. There will be days early on when you think you'll never be able to walk on your own, let alone play Division I basketball. Rehabbing your ACL will teach you how to appreciate every little milestone. Bending your knee 70 degrees instead of 65? That is a HUGE day. The first time you're able to run in over 4 months? CELEBRATE! And when you can finally play the sport you love after 11 whole months without it, be thankful for every part of it. Smile through the on-court conditioning workouts and the lifts that you think will never end. You're doing things you couldn't do last year and you won't ever take that for granted again. Finally, this year will teach you that you are SO much more than a basketball player. While you'll miss playing the sport, your friends and family will still love you and appreciate you for all that you do.
Senior Year: RESILIENCE
You come into your senior year ready for anything that life throws at you. You kick butt through fall workouts and feel like you're getting closer and closer to being the "old Kiernan" basketball player. When you play your first game since the Patriot League Championship during your sophomore year, you take in every single moment. You remember how much you love basketball and how even the hardest times give you the opportunity to grow. This knowledge will apply to you more than ever, when Spoiler Alert Number 3: You tear your ACL again! 15 months of rehab, 16 DAYS (!!!) of playing in games, and you're back where you started. I'll tell you right now that first-year Kiernan would NOT come out of this with a smile on her face. Fourth-year Kiernan, however, has a whole lot of learning under her belt and is better equipped to handle this than she could ever imagine. Senior year, and particularly your second ACL injury, will teach you that when life gets tough, you get tougher. People will come up to you every day with admiration at how you've handled a really difficult situation. Some days, you won't be sure how you're supposed to do it ALL over again. On those days, you just grind. You do whatever it takes to make it through. For every rough day, though, there will be a day when your body does something it hasn't done in a long time, and you'll remember that the entire process is worth it. You'll also see that this difficult situation will provide you with so many opportunities. Spoiler Alert Number 4: You're going to grad school! Your family will support your desire to go to school for one more year, and you will get the chance to find a completely new experience that you would never have had if you didn't get hurt. Appreciate this and take advantage of as many new opportunities as you can.
Now you have an idea of what your four years of college will look like. Looking back, the most important thing I can remind you of (which I know you already know) is to always trust what got you here. You are about to start an incredible journey and you are more than ready. You have an AMAZING family who will be there with you every single step of the way. You have always cared passionately about everything you are involved in, and this will take you wonderful places while in college. You will meet some of your best friends in the world and they will love you for the love you have for everything you do. For the next four years, stay true to your core values while keeping an open mind to the new ideas that college will present you with. You have so many great days ahead of you - take them in!! And remember, be grateful every day for the experience you are having. Through all of the good and bad times, you will LOVE your time at Lehigh!
Good luck!
Senior Year Kiernan
You won four championships! You were a star on the court and led your team to new heights! You never faced adversity or missed out on an amazing opportunity! In short, your college career was PERFECT!...
…How boring of a story is that?! While I wish I could tell you that these next four years are going to be nothing but victories and smiles, that's just not life. There are more losses and tears in your future than you can imagine right now. With that said though, I CAN tell you that the next four years will also bring you more growth than you could ever imagine. Let's take a look at the most important things you will learn each year…
First Year: Diligence
Up until this point in your life, most things have come pretty darn easy. While no one would call you a slacker, they also wouldn't say that you've gotten where you are purely through working hard. You were blessed with a lot of physical gifts, and you've done your best to maximize them. The most important thing you'll learn your first year though, is that it takes A LOT more than physical gifts to succeed in college. For the first time, you will have to study for weeks before a test, not hours. You will come to realize that on the basketball court, there is absolutely no replacement for the time you spend refining your skills. Things won't be handed to you, and when you earn them through hard work, they will feel a whole lot better. You'll learn that you absolutely have it in you to work harder than you thought you'd ever have, and you'll be rewarded for that in the long run.
Sophomore Year: You Are Part of Something that is Bigger Than Yourself
While sophomore year will bring its own set of challenges, this is the year that you feel the pure joy of being part of something bigger than yourself. Spoiler Alert: Your team makes it to the Patriot League Championship game! By the time you make your championship run, playing time or points scored no longer matter. You feel true pride in being part of a group that is doing great things. Although you won't win it all (still not over it!), you will learn what it feels like to contribute to something awesome. Hold on to every moment in your semi-final game against Army - that will stay with you as one of the greatest sports and college memories you have!
Junior Year: Things Don't Always Go As Planned
This is going to be your year! You can feel it. You are an upperclassman now and it's your turn to shine. You've put in the dirty work and now you'll get the glory… But wait. Spoiler Alert Number 2: The summer before your junior year starts, you will experience the first true adversity in your life when you tear your ACL. In one second, your life will change forever. You have never even sprained an ankle or broken a bone, and now doctors are telling you that you won't be able to play for almost a year. How will you survive?? The answer, you will come to see, you've already learned. This will be the absolute hardest thing you've ever done. There will be days early on when you think you'll never be able to walk on your own, let alone play Division I basketball. Rehabbing your ACL will teach you how to appreciate every little milestone. Bending your knee 70 degrees instead of 65? That is a HUGE day. The first time you're able to run in over 4 months? CELEBRATE! And when you can finally play the sport you love after 11 whole months without it, be thankful for every part of it. Smile through the on-court conditioning workouts and the lifts that you think will never end. You're doing things you couldn't do last year and you won't ever take that for granted again. Finally, this year will teach you that you are SO much more than a basketball player. While you'll miss playing the sport, your friends and family will still love you and appreciate you for all that you do.
Senior Year: RESILIENCE
You come into your senior year ready for anything that life throws at you. You kick butt through fall workouts and feel like you're getting closer and closer to being the "old Kiernan" basketball player. When you play your first game since the Patriot League Championship during your sophomore year, you take in every single moment. You remember how much you love basketball and how even the hardest times give you the opportunity to grow. This knowledge will apply to you more than ever, when Spoiler Alert Number 3: You tear your ACL again! 15 months of rehab, 16 DAYS (!!!) of playing in games, and you're back where you started. I'll tell you right now that first-year Kiernan would NOT come out of this with a smile on her face. Fourth-year Kiernan, however, has a whole lot of learning under her belt and is better equipped to handle this than she could ever imagine. Senior year, and particularly your second ACL injury, will teach you that when life gets tough, you get tougher. People will come up to you every day with admiration at how you've handled a really difficult situation. Some days, you won't be sure how you're supposed to do it ALL over again. On those days, you just grind. You do whatever it takes to make it through. For every rough day, though, there will be a day when your body does something it hasn't done in a long time, and you'll remember that the entire process is worth it. You'll also see that this difficult situation will provide you with so many opportunities. Spoiler Alert Number 4: You're going to grad school! Your family will support your desire to go to school for one more year, and you will get the chance to find a completely new experience that you would never have had if you didn't get hurt. Appreciate this and take advantage of as many new opportunities as you can.
Now you have an idea of what your four years of college will look like. Looking back, the most important thing I can remind you of (which I know you already know) is to always trust what got you here. You are about to start an incredible journey and you are more than ready. You have an AMAZING family who will be there with you every single step of the way. You have always cared passionately about everything you are involved in, and this will take you wonderful places while in college. You will meet some of your best friends in the world and they will love you for the love you have for everything you do. For the next four years, stay true to your core values while keeping an open mind to the new ideas that college will present you with. You have so many great days ahead of you - take them in!! And remember, be grateful every day for the experience you are having. Through all of the good and bad times, you will LOVE your time at Lehigh!
Good luck!
Senior Year Kiernan
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