By: Catherine DeRosa
November 1st is National Signing Day for seniors who plan to participate in college athletics. Typically there is a ceremony where the athletic director announces all the students with their respective sport and future college while parents and families sit in the audience taking pictures as this is a day that these student athletes will never forget. National Signing Day is a huge deal in the sports world, and yet for some reason Henderson does not have a signing day. I wholeheartedly believe that Henderson is the best school in the WCASD when it comes to academics and athletics. But if this is true, why do WC East and Rustin have a signing day when we don’t?
This September, Henderson was rated #1 for athletes in Chester County by Niche.com. Last year we sent more than 22 seniors off to NCAA college programs. Two years ago we sent 31 plus seniors, and three years ago we sent 26 plus students to continue their sport at the collegiate level. My generation thrives off of attention and celebrating their accomplishments in life. There is so much pressure on young adults to figure out their next step in life, whether it be college, trade school, or no additional schooling at all. These students have successfully managed a crazy high school schedule while maintaining good grades and succeeding at their sport.
Being a student athlete and a future collegiate athlete myself, there is a very long list of sacrifices I have made for the game of soccer. Constantly traveling for soccer and missing school is not an easy thing to manage — not to mention how limited my social life has been due to travel. I have worked my tail off in the classroom and on the field to receive a scholarship to play Division 1 soccer. These sacrifices don’t really seem like sacrifices because I’m doing what I love.
When you’re younger, it’s frowned upon to dream of being a professional athlete. The NCAA posted on April 3, 2019 estimating the probability of competing in college athletics.
It stated that 7.1% of female high school soccer participants go onto play collegiately in D1, D2, or D3 programs. And only 2.4% of female high school players make it to the D1 level. College athletics is a gateway to that professional athlete career. So even though I have been told my chances of actually making it are slim, I’m proving people wrong, and National Signing Day is a big milestone in the process of becoming that professional athlete. So why aren’t we celebrating this major accomplishment of our students?
So let’s celebrate our accomplishments and make sure that future generations that come through Henderson can too! I will leave you with this quote from a soccer legend, Mia Hamm, “ Celebrate what you’ve accomplished, but raise the bar a little higher each time you succeed.”