Labor Day

Happy Labor Day everyone! Labor Day… that’s kind of a weird holiday to think about. We get a day off at the very beginning of the school year. No classes, maybe grill out with some friends. What did we do to earn this glorious late summer day to do with what we will? Well, since pre-season started two weeks ago and almost all of the UB student athletes trained the entire summer, I like to think maybe that is part of why we are gifted a low stress day. Face it – we work very hard. If we want to keep the roster spot, we must earn it. Of 14,473,884 undergraduate college students in the United States, just 139,063 of them are Division 1 athletes. That is roughly 1% of the college population. Just 1%. Yeah, those early morning practices are sometimes the last thing we want to think about. The burning muscles during practices and the sore ones after. Seeing all the other kids eating way too much dessert at D-Hall and fighting with all your will power to restrain yourself. Doing assignments way in advance because you travel the date they’re due. Having the chance to go see a new movie but instead being in bed at a decent hour because, well, that early morning practice I mentioned earlier is still there. Whether you rest or not, that alarm clock is still going off and you don’t have the luxury of hitting snooze. But then you get to that awful practice and your best friend (and also your teammate) is there to make fun of you for looking like a zombie. And working out beside these teammates, it makes the work part feel more like fun. And as you’re practicing your sport, you remember how much you freaking LOVE your sport. The recovery shakes after – better than that D-Hall junk. And who needs that new movie when that one teammate’s personality is a free show on the daily. Any work you’re missing or doing early, you have an Athletics staff as a safety net to ensure you stay sharp as a student as well as an athlete. And can we just think about the amazing apparel we receive for free? Yes, student athletes put in our fair share of labor. And to tell you the truth, we all have room to work harder. To take the University at Buffalo to the level we need to be on, we’re going to all have to think and train like champions 24/7. The best news though? We’re not alone. Talent wins games, but teamwork wins championships. We have the best sources of support working through our labors with us. So this Labor Day, take a little time to relax. The fact that you’re here tells me this: you’ve earned it.