No Longer A Newbie

This is a blog post I wrote at the very beginning of the semester, and sat on for four months because I had no time to edit and publish it after it was written. You can thank calculus II for that.

Last week, I arrived back to BG for my junior year. I moved into my dorm (which I now have my own room) along with my teammate, Sammie. It was nice to say “I am going back to school” instead of “I am going to a new school”.

Being considered a returner is something I didn’t think I would value as much as I do. It was a weird feeling. My first two years of college golf, I was considered a newbie because I was a freshman and then a transfer. So I was starting fresh at a new program for two years. Even as I was packing my stuff up to move back to college, I had to keep reminding myself that I was going back to BG.

When I saw campus again for the first time since April, it was nice to recognize it. I already knew my way around; I knew all of my fellow returners and most of the freshman; I had a strong relationship with my coaches, it was a refreshing feeling knowing I wasn’t having to figure my way around a new program again.

I’m not going to lie, it is much easier to be a newbie as a freshman than as a sophomore. As a freshman, you are aware that you are new to college golf and the team you play for. You know you are going to know the least amount of information when it comes to balancing schoolwork and golf in college. You know you are new to everything, so it is a lot easier to let people help you and guide you into this transition. In a sense, it is a lot easier to be nurtured by your teammates.

As a transfer sophomore, I found it was different and harder to be a newbie. I didn’t want anyone to treat me as if I didn’t know anything, but at the same time I didn’t know much about how BG golf worked. What I did know was how college golf worked. I knew how to balance schoolwork with golf. I knew how to manage my time properly, get to places on time, and be responsible without my parents always around. It is weirdly difficult to step into a new program already having a solid understanding of college golf because everyone is trying to help you with things you may already know.

I am not saying I didn’t take the help when I needed it, because I did need help at times. I needed help transitioning from a program that literally fell apart in front of me to a program that had a solid foundation built by the coach and supported by the players. I also needed help with processing the fact that I could have been at a great program from the beginning.

It is a weird spot to be because I wasn’t a freshman, yet I wasn’t a returner either. I was a transfer, and it took me a while to fully accept that.

Now that I am no longer labeled a “transfer”, my role has shifted. I now get to show the freshman how we do things at BG golf. I get to answer questions instead of ask questions. I am one of the people who gets to show the newbies around and help them navigate the transition from high school to college. I get to be a leader.

Don’t get me wrong, I am still learning new things everyday. I am always working on myself and trying to do better than the day before on everything in my life, not just golf. But being someone that people look up to I think gives me a new sense of appreciation for the time I have playing college golf.

Transitioning from freshman, to transfer, to now returner has its ups and downs, and the road is never smooth, but I wouldn’t trade how I got to being a “returner” for the world.