Sept. 12, 2008
SAN DIEGO -
Double-A Zone - Official Blog of the NCAA
Sherraine Pencil, a former San Diego State track and field team captain, recently wrote a guest entry for the Double-A Zone, the NCAA's official blog. Pencil just completed her eligibility this past spring by competing at the NCAA Championships for the third consecutive season.
Day in and day out we tend to not appreciate the things around us, the things we have. We take them for granted and don't realize how good we have it until it's gone. What I am talking about is being a college student-athlete, being part of a team for four years and only now realizing that I am no longer part of that team. It makes me appreciate my last race in my team uniform even more. It makes me appreciate the last time saying my code of honor with my team--the ten codes being the foundation of our team. It made me realize how lucky I am to say that I was an NCAA student-athlete and have had some amazing experiences that will remain with me for the rest of my life.
I am currently in my fifth year of college and my eligibility is up. I now can say I was a member of the San Diego State University (SDSU) Track and Field team. I was the captain. I was the one expected to carry the team. Now, "was" is a hard word to say. I remember my last race and feeling happy to no longer be an NCAA student-athlete--to no longer have the responsibility of carrying my team. I felt elated to know that my time was up--to know that I could train as an elite athlete and not worry about failing my team. I no longer needed to deal with team drama or worry about how to make my team better. The one thing I did not let myself feel is a hint of sadness knowing that my four years are up. I find myself saying, "wow four years really have passed? Where did the time go?" I am ready to move on and make my transition to the next level of my life.
I know that I'm going through a transition, something that I need as athlete, where I can focus on myself improving and taking what I have learned in my four years and making myself a better athlete. The idea of the transition is something that excites me. It is also very scary, but I'm ready to take the leap. It's just a bit sad to sit back and know that my NCAA career is up.
It's nice to step back and reflect on what I did and what I still am doing. Although I'm no longer part of the team, I am still on campus doing what I need to do to graduate. When I do, I will be able to say that I graduated from San Diego State with a double major in sociology and political science. I will be able to say that I have had a great deal of success in the classroom and on the track. I was a scholar-athlete two years and qualified for the NCAA championship my last three years of eligibility. I will be able to say that I was a captain of the San Diego State team for two years and was honored to be given a prestigious award from my coach that only four other track and field student-athletes from San Diego State have received in the past 10 years. I have been a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and had the honor of serving on my conference committee, the Mountain West Conference.
I did not realize, until now, how much I have accomplished. I know that I would have never been able to have any of these accomplishments if didn't get the chance of being a San Diego State student-athlete.
Being a SDSU student-athlete was one stage in my life. I have done what I've need to do. I have no regrets from my collegiate career. I still have my team's support, they are (and will forever be) my teammates.
I just had the honor of hearing LaTanya Sheffield speak, a former SDSU student-athlete, the former NCAA recorder holder in the 400 meter hurdles. She reminded me that once an Aztec, forever an Aztec. She said "if you cut me, I will bleed red and black." She said it perfectly.
Although my NCAA career is over, I'm still growing and I will forever be an Aztec.