When Arundel senior midfielder Megan Frost took the field for the Wildcats’ final home soccer game last week, her parents, stepfather and younger sister were at her side.
She walked between two rows of applauding younger players, across a field decorated with green balloons and spray-painted flowers, beneath a poster of her in action hanging from the bleachers. She shared the moment with five other seniors, with whom she shared years of bus rides, pasta dinners and fall afternoons on the soccer field.
Megan, her family and the rest of the crowd at Arundel last week demonstrated why these evenings are so precious, when for just a moment, athletes, parents and coaches stop taking victories and defeats so seriously and remember why they’re there.
The Arundel girls’ soccer team has been extraordinarily successful this season. With its senior night victory, the team finished its conference season undefeated and earned the second seed in the Maryland 4A East Region playoffs. Two nights later, the team lost 1-0 to South River in the Anne Arundel County championships, but remained a favorite to advance deep into the state playoffs.
With the single-elimination playoff system, these girls finish their playing days under ever-growing pressure. That’s why the simple traditions of senior night are so touching. The ceremonies haven’t changed much in a decade. Kids and parents take the field together for a moment to remember the joys of youth sports. They are a pause in the record-watching, stat-keeping process of high school sports. They are, for many players, the last time to play for their school and a signal that their high school days are numbered.
“I’m just excited that the girls have had a great career together,” said John Brentlinger, father of Arundel senior sweeper Jamie Brentlinger. “It’s been a lot of fun for them playing with all the kids they know.”
For high school students, sports become a reality check. Most discover they are not the next Mia Hamm, Peyton Manning or Cal Ripken. Many don’t compile the stats — or even playing time — they anticipated as they moved beyond recreational leagues. And while we hear much about the athletes who advance to big-time college programs, there are far more who don’t, but play for the love of the game and their teammates. Their success isn’t measured by college scholarships, but by lifelong friendships and interpersonal skills. They are the ones who find that high school fields, courts and tracks are truly an extension of the classroom.
“She’s loved leading the team,” said Mary Frost of her daughter Megan, who has played soccer since age 4. Megan is heading to Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, N.C., to play Division I soccer next year.
She said she understands college sports will be a different experience and appreciates her high school days. “It’s cool because I remember when I was a freshman and I looked at seniors and thought they were so old,” Megan said. As a senior captain, she helped encourage and instruct younger players and found that role as meaningful as playing well herself. Senior night, she said, was particularly fun because even the non-starting seniors took the field with the rest of their classmates.
“I was excited and sad,” Arundel’s Brooke Jones said of her senior night. “It was sad looking back. We like to joke around a lot, but we’re serious when we need to be serious.” Jones isn’t sure whether she will play in college but she will remember her senior year, both for the Wildcats’ success on the field and the relationships among the players. Megan offered some advice for next year’s senior class of athletes: “The best part of winning is when you’re winning and having fun.”
Jamie, Megan, Brooke and all the other seniors finishing their high school athletic careers probably don’t fully appreciate how sports have been shaping their lives and contributing to the great challenges and opportunities that lie ahead of them. But someday they should look back at the smiles and tears of senior night and understand the value of their accomplishment.
Seniors might think their special night celebrates the best part of their lives, but eventually they’ll see that it honors just one of many stages of life to enjoy.
