SAM NEGRON Contributing Writer
First impressions are a major catalyst when it comes to prospective students deciding on a college. Prospective students are deciding to leave their homes for the next four years and relocate to a new home. Everything is new, and they may bring certain furnishing from home to cure the homesickness, but it still isn’t home. One way to create a sense of family on college campuses is through sports.
College can be a major adjustment coming straight out of high school, but being part of a team can make it easier. Choosing the right school can be the most difficult part and the transition is hard for everybody. Haley Hall is a senior soccer player for the Piedmont Lady Lions. Over her four years of college, she has grown to be a leader in the classroom and on the field.
“[Piedmont] had a great soccer team and I really liked the soccer coach when I first met him,” said Hall when asked why she chose Piedmont over other schools. “I also really liked how small the school was and liked how the professors would know you by name.”
She said that soccer has always been a passion for her and getting to play in college was always her dream.
“If I was in trouble my mom would just use not being able to go to practice because she knew that was the only way I would listen and behave,” said Hall.
Sports have been a very important factor in Hall’s life. It is the way that she was punished and the way she could grow as a person.
“Sports have definitely helped me mold as a person because it teaches you discipline and teaches you teamwork. Without either of those things I would not be the person I am today,” she said.
Teams sports are more than just going out there and playing. They can help define who athletes become as people. Sports teach students how to manage time, develop teamwork and help cope with the stresses of life in general. When asked if she could change anything about her college experience Hall said, “Nothing. It was a great college experience and I really do love Piedmont, the professors, the coaches, the people, and the school itself.”
Four years come and go by fast. Students go from being young 18 year-old kids to college graduates ready to take on the world. The traits they have learned are taken into the real world and applied. They have transitioned from student-athlete to future employee. A common question asked to every college graduate is what their plans are after graduation.
“My plans after college are to become a flight attendant with Delta and to work for an insurance company called Preferred Reports on my days off,” said Hall. “I also hope to coach in the future even if it is just a side gig I do for fun.”