Dominick Lordo

For 14 years of my life, I played baseball. Many people can say the same, but baseball was more than just a game to me. My life revolved around the game, and I sacrificed countless hours of my free time just to play baseball.

When I started high school, I set the goal to be a collegiate baseball player. My actions to achieve this goal would prove to be very dangerous, as I started to find my worth as a person in how I performed. I beat myself up, got angry, and spiraled when I didn't perform up to my standard.

Then came senior year of high school, and it was time to make a decision. Everyone around me seemed to have everything planned out; where they were going to school, what they were going to do with their life, etc. I didn't have the answers to these and It was extremely challenging because I was always a great student, but if I were to play baseball in college I would have to go to a school with a not-so-great academic reputation.

I came to several conclusions during this process and went back and forth multiple times. The final straw that pushed me to not play collegiate baseball was getting accepted into the University of Georgia. The decision all of a sudden became clear to me and there was no turning back from there.

While I never accomplished my dream of playing collegiate baseball, I couldn't be happier than I am now. A sport no longer defines my life, but instead I am finding new things that fulfill me and have a new beginning.