On National signing day nine seniors from Royal Oak High School signed to their respective colleges to continue an athletic career. This is a tradition that many players and coaches look forward to. Students came together to support their teammates through this important day. This is a tradition that is celebrated nationally but not all students who continue sports on the collegiate level are present on signing day. The choice to continue your sport in college is a decision that many high school students have to think about entering their senior year, for these nine athletes the decision came easy and now is official! Three students from Royal Oak are going to college for cross country and/or track and field Tamia Conway and Maia Conway are both going to Oakland University and Sebastian Ramirez is going to Grand Valley State University. Tamia Conway says, ”I am looking forward to traveling and competing as a golden grizzly and the memories I get to make with my future teammates and coaches.”
Many students are looking forward to entering into a more competitive environment. Owen Soper, who is attending Adrian College, says that he’s “looking forward to the competitiveness and being able to compete within the team”
For many, that’s why they continue playing in college, they like the competitiveness and routine of a sport. Aquinas College commit Tony Serraiocco says “I figure that soccer is supposed to keep routine and structure in my life.”
As these athletes are meeting new coaches many are thinking about their past mentors. Maia Conway is specifically thinking about her high school coaches and how they have pushed her to be a better athlete, “my biggest supporters have been my coaches Dela and Don. They are the ones that have shaped me into the person I am today.”
Two students are going to Albion College, Ceci Irwin for soccer and TJ Antonino for lacrosse. While students are looking forward, Irwin is looking back and remembers “when [she] was 3 years old started with soccer tots because [her] whole family played soccer”
The same goes for many who started their sports in elementary school. There are also those who started later in life. North Central College commit Alyssa Rose started lacrosse her freshman year of high school. Even though she only started a few years ago she has many fond memories of the sport such as her “Junior year when [they] got [their] first win of the season and had a big celebration as a team.”
In order to leave their legacy these student athletes gave some advice for students thinking about continuing their athletic career.
“If you truly love something, stick with it and work hard and you never know what will come out of it.” – Alyssa Rose
“Stick with it. It can be tough at times but stick with it through the recruiting process and put in the effort things will happen.” – Owen Soper
“Start early on the recruitment process, the earlier you can start, the earlier you can decide what you really want to pursue.” – Tony Serraiocco
“Pursue what you enjoy and love to play.” – Ceci Irwin
“The sport you do is tough but how you cope with it is on you. Be around people that WANT to see you grow and be happy.” – Maia Conway
“Never underestimate yourself and not give up on your hopes and dreams! You are so much more capable than you actually think!” – Tamia Conway
