The Beginning of the Lasts

In life, it is a constant adventure of experiencing new things as a person lives on, but also experiencing things for the last time too. New Ulm Seniors are experiencing the reality of this as their senior year is tipping the halfway point, which also means that time to play high school sports is slowly slipping away.

For the majority of the seniors at New Ulm, they will not choose or have the opportunity to continue their passion for the sports that they love and obsess over. As many come to play their last game or go to their team practice the reality settles in that the one thing that the athletes have known for much of their lives is now about to pretty much disappear.

Most high school players have been playing the sports that they love since they were young. Some started playing the sport as young as 3 or 4 and have played every single year since. Now, high school sports are beginning to appear in the rear view mirror, as most seniors look ahead to the next phase in life.

New Ulm Seniors can still stay active in the sports by coaching, playing intramural and other leagues in the area. This allows players that have a true passion for the sport to continue on in the sport they love. The one problem with these opportunities is it is missing the bonds that are formed between teammates on high school teams.

We asked senior Izzie Wolkow about how she felt her last Volleyball season went. “Well, knowing it was my last volleyball season, I worked really hard along with the other seniors to bring back the sport to New Ulm. I will never forget the memories I shared with my team.”

Senior Ryan Esser also had some things to say about his Senior Hockey season. Ryan said, “It definitely is our best year that we’ve ever had. It’s awesome that this is happening now, this couldn’t have happened at a better time.” Although the season is going so well Ryan says that he also has mixed feelings: “I am happy that the season is going so well but at the same time every game that goes by, it means we are one game closer to the end.”