The courage it takes to quit a sport you’ve played since age six is often bigger than the courage to keep going.

Ten years in, the sport is not just a sport. It is your friends, your schedule, and who your family thinks you are. Walking away means losing all of that at once and disappointing people who gave up their weekends for you. Staying is sometimes right, but it is usually easier, and the two get confused.

Ask whether you would choose it today if you were starting fresh, with no history to honour. If the answer is no, say it out loud to one person before you say it to the coach. Quitting the schedule is not the same as quitting the thing, and you are allowed to come back.