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This seems worth sharing, although I must admit as an alumnus of Cornell College that I had not seen this until today while doing some research on school student-athlete policies.

 

Why We Play D-III Athletics by Sean Sornsin, baseball student-athlete, Cornell College

"It's not about getting a scholarship, getting drafted, or making SportsCenter. It's a deep need in us that comes from the heart. We need to practice, to play, to lift, to hustle, to sweat. We do it all for our teammates and for the student in our calculus class that we don't even know.

We don't practice with a future major league first baseman; we practice with a future sports agent. We don't lift weights with a future Olympic wrestler; we lift with a future doctor. We don't run with a future Wimbledon champion; we run with a future CEO. It's a bigger part of us than our friends and family can understand. Sometimes we play for 2,000 fans; sometimes 25. But we still play hard. You cheer for us because you know us. You know more than just our names. Like all of you, we are students first. We don't sign autographs. But we do sign graduate school applications, MCAT exams, and student body petitions. When we miss a kick or strike out, we don't let down an entire state. We only let down our teammates, coaches, and fans.

But the hurt is still the same. We train hard, lift, throw, run, kick, tackle, shoot, dribble, and lift some more, and in the morning we go to class. And in that class we are nothing more than students. It's about pride in ourselves, in our school. It's about our love and passion for the game. And when it's over, when we walk off that court or field for the last time, our hearts crumble. Those tears are real. But deep down inside, we are very proud of ourselves. We will forever be what few can claim...college athletes."

(This article first appeared in the Dec. 3, 1999 edition of The Cornellian, the student newspaper at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa.)

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To me, this was the #1 quote from the LA Times article :

 

“You make the big time where you're at,” says La Verne receiver Jon Lilly after catching six touchdown passes. “No matter what happens, this is a blast.”

 

Last season, our son, now a senior pitcher at a D3 school, closed-out a save on the final game of the season, in extra innings, on a cold, rainy late spring afternoon in the Pacific NW, for what was an historic, record-setting win for his school relative to season W/L record. Did they make the D3 playoffs - no, but it was important, really important. This save opportunity occurred for him after he was a starter in the game the day prior. (ha ha, only in D3)

 

When the final out was recorded, he exploded off the mound with a huge fist pump and a gigantic mitt-spike, while the entire team crashed the field and celebrated. You'd thought they qualified to go to Appleton.  I still watch that half inning every once in a while on the archived web broadcast. To me, that's the essence of D3 sports.

Last edited by like2rake

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