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 Lauren Dickerson, a track and field athlete from Wheeling Jesuit.

Dear Track and Field,

?I don’t think I have ever hated, but loved a sport before I found you. There has been so many times I wanted to give up, but something about you wouldn’t let me walk away. When I started my junior year of high school, I never thought I’d end up where I am today. In the beginning we had a tough start but looking back that “tough start” impacted my life for the positive. I started to see improvement, not just in my distances, but in myself as a person. The improvements were something I had been craving, but I didn’t realize what I was craving at the time. I had participated in sports before, but with you something was different. 

These past few years you have taught me lessons that I wouldn’t have learned from anywhere else. You taught me that with every good day, there will be several bad days. Every goal and expectation aren’t always going to be reality. Those were the days I wanted to give up the most and I still have them seven years later. You showed me that even when competing with other people that I should be competing with myself. I learned how to push myself past my limits and to keep going no matter how tough it gets. You showed me that even when you’re on top you will get knocked down ten times harder, but I always have to get up (you helped me). 

Some of those “pick me up off the ground” moments were small, but you were there for the biggest. The beginning of my senior year my grandma was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and I had to have hip surgery at 21-years-old. It seemed like life was just digging holes that I couldn’t get out of. After my hip surgery, I had a choice to make. Do I want to try and medically redshirt or push through and compete during the outdoor season? I waited to hear how things were going for my grandma, since she was my biggest fan and supporter. When we found out there was nothing that could be done, I made the decision to push through and compete. I thought if that was going to be her last track season, I wanted her to enjoy it. Unfortunately, she passed February 2018, and the outdoor season starts at the end of March. I knew I had to dedicate myself to make the most of the season, and the women’s team became MEC Champions that May. You didn’t let me go through this alone and I’m grateful. This is when you showed me my team wasn’t just a team, we are a family. They pushed me through the practices, workouts, and meets. They didn’t let me give up, no matter how much I wanted to. You gave me a family of people that cared for everyone, not just the sport we were participating in.

I want to thank you track and field for everything. The continuous life lessons you provided me and for the friends and now family over the last five years. Also, for showing me that sometimes bad days are a good thing. You will be loyal and there for everyone that shows interest in you, especially those who didn’t realize they needed a sport like you. I am forever grateful for the relationships and opportunities you have given me. I hope others will look at you with a grateful heart and give you a chance to show what you can do for them; like you have for me. ?

Love,
Lauren Dickerson
Wheeling Jesuit University