In 2018-19, the Mountain East Conference began its "Dear Sport" initiative where student-athletes in the conference were encouraged to write a letter to their sport. The initiative provides the opportunity for student-athletes to express in their own words the impact that sports has played in shaping them throughout their lives.
Click here to view all letters posted throughout the year.
Below is a letter from Alaina York, a softball player from Wheeling Jesuit.
Thank you for shaping me into the person I am today
You showed me that hard work and determination can overcome any failure
You taught me that failure is ok and how you react to the failure is what shapes you
Thank you for teaching me how to make adjustments and adapt to new situations
You taught me that no matter what pitch is thrown there is always a way to hit it
You showed me that not every situation will always take the perfect hop
You brought new people to my life and helped me create life-long friends
You showed me Wheeling Jesuit, a place I would never have heard of
You showed me how to step outside my comfort zone and that it was the best way to grow
Being uncomfortable is inevitable but that is when you have the best experiences
You taught me to go for things and not to be afraid
Dive after everything and swing at good pitches
You taught me that not everything is under my control and that is ok
You showed me success and you showed me to take a lesson from each failure
You showed me that I can’t always be perfect but to always take positives out of a situation
You showed me that mentality can make or break a person
Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard
You showed me happiness in the sport, nothing feels better than a ball hitting the sweet spot
Of a bat or diving after a ball and it landing in your glove
You taught me to never take things for granted because it can be gone in an instant
You taught me life lessons that will stick with me forever and shaped me into who I am today
And I would not be who I am today if I never started playing
You are the reason I am who I am
I don’t know what I would do without you
Thank you
-Alaina York
Wheeling Jesuit