# @steeple_squigs on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz6Kbybncm4
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/13954671-steeple-squigs-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/legacy-do/00f40c3679598d4deeba16b210328cdbdcf488fb744080e1d662f0b0214d8c45.jpg
- **Posted:** 2019-07-14T19:24:28.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Colleen Quigley (@steeple_squigs) — https://gondola.cc/steeple_squigs

## Caption

When I was in La earlier this week, nikelosangeles gave me the opportunity to talk to a small group of high school girls who are prepping for XC this fall.
When I looked at their faces, I immediately got transported back to 2008, when I was a freshman. So I tried to tell them what I needed to hear back then. Here were a couple of the big ones:

1. It’s okay to not have it all figured out! I didn’t know where I wanted to go to school until spring senior year. Heck- I considered not even going to college and pursuing a career as a model instead. I didn’t know what I wanted to study once I got to school or what I wanted to do after.
2. It’s okay to switch paths! If you’re not exploring all of your options as you go, you could miss something incredible that you hadn’t even considered before. I played soccer and danced until I found running, which changed my life forever.
3. Team success will always be more fun than individual success. No matter what level of sport you achieve. Always take the time build up your teammates and let them do the same for you.
4. Balance is key for longevity. At some parts of the year I would have said my first priority was running, and at other parts of the year I would have said academics or exams. At another time of the year I would have said family and friends. It’s a tricky balance, but we are all more than just athletes, more than just students, we are complete humans.

Thank you to all the girls who came out to our gathering, it meant the world to me that you would take the time out of your summer vacation to show up and listen so intently to what I had to say. I hope you all end up loving this sport the way I do and letting it change your life the way it has changed mine.
#sportchangeseverything

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## Tags

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